The 琉璃神社 and West 琉璃神社 RCMP and students from Mount Boucherie Secondary School and Cst. Nell Bruce Middle School paddled across Okanagan Lake together in honour of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. 

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, annually on September 30, is a federal holiday intended to give people time to learn, unlearn and honour those who have been impacted by the trauma caused by Most importantly, the day is intended to remember the children who never returned home and those who were harmed while in the care of the Canadian government. To learn more about the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation visit 

Also known as , the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of 鈥淓very Child Matters鈥�.  The orange shirt is a symbol of the Indigenous identity that was taken away from children, inspired by the story of who as a girl was forced to take off her new orange shirt on her first day at a B.C. residential school.

On a the sunny afternoon of Sept. 27, the group of students from Mount Boucherie Secondary School and Cst. Nell Bruce Middle School, teachers and officers gathered at 琉璃神社's City Park beach, where they took time to pay homage to the significance of the day of remembrance before departing into the water. 

After participating in a traditional Indigenous ceremony, the group canoed across the lake to a beach on Westbank First Nation Land where they were greeted by the WFN Chief Council, elders, community members, and survivors of residential school.