Tomorrow marks the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, and there will be a few closures.
The federal government created the new national statutory holiday in July to commemorate the suffering caused by the residential school system in Canada. Banks will close, and there will be no mail delivery since Canada Post is federally regulated.
Earlier this month, the Ford government decided it would not recognize it as a provincial statutory holiday under the Retail Holiday Act. Retail stores, the LCBO, and The Beer Store will continue to operate during their usual business hours, and public service employees will not get the day off.
Both Tecumseh Mall and Devonshire Mall are open on Thursday, and Transit Windsor operates on its regular weekday schedule.
St. Clair College and the University of Windsor remain open.
For municipalities, the observance is optional. The County of Essex, the Town of Tecumseh, the Town of LaSalle, and the Municipality of Lakeshore are the only local governments that will recognize it. Lakeshore council opted to during a special meeting on September 16. Lasalle passed its motion during its council meeting on September 28.
"As a local government, observing this solemn holiday may seem like a small part of our country's reconciliation efforts, but it is an important reminder that we all have a part to play," said Lakeshore Mayor Tom Bain. "This holiday is an opportunity to seek out the stories of residential school survivors and to take a moment to reflect on the history of our country's relationship with Indigenous People."
Municipal staff are instead encouraged to participate in an engagement campaign, which will share the stories of residential school survivors. The municipality will share educational resources, multimedia content, and information about local events.
"This is something that the community is expecting us to recognize. This is everybody coming together to say this is the right thing to do," said CAO Truper McBride. "I respect the individual decision-making of different municipalities in the region -- and I certainly give our council a tip of the hat for recognizing what we think is a very important day for Canada, now and going forward."
Public libraries in Essex County will close their doors.
In Tecumseh, Town Hall will be closed Thursday and Tecumseh Arena will only be open for scheduled rentals. Garbage collection and Tecumseh Transit buses will run as usual.
Tecumseh's Parks and Recreation Department will tie 215 pieces of orange ribbon along the railings of the north boardwalk at Lakewood Park, and signs will be posted explaining the significance of the ribbons.
The House of Commons passed the motion soon after the first unmarked graves were discovered outside a former residential school in British Columbia. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission believes 3,200 unmarked graves contain the remains of Indigenous Peoples across Canada.