Port Hope and Northumberland County will mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30 with a free screening of Gord Downie’s “The Secret Path” at the Capitol Theatre.
The film, which explores the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died in 1966 after leaving a residential school in northern Ontario, will be shown at 7 p.m. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Indigenous leaders and advocates.
The one-hour film uses music, animation and storytelling to recount Wenjack’s experience and examine the legacy and impacts of Canada’s residential school system.
The panel will be moderated by Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky and will include Marsha Smoke, Southeast Regional Chief of the Anishinabek Nation; Dr. Hayden King, executive director of the Yellowhead Institute; and Chief Taynar Simpson of Alderville First Nation.
Organizers say the event is intended to encourage reflection, education and dialogue about residential schools and their ongoing impacts on Indigenous communities.
Admission is free, although donations will be accepted for the Aron Indigenous Circle in Campbellford and Past Time, a legacy project honouring residential school survivor Stephen Pashagumskum. Residents are encouraged to reserve tickets through the Capitol Theatre in advance.
(Richard Evans)
