Honouring National Day of Truth & Reconciliation

Work stopped temporarily on the Mills Memorial Hospital construction site yesterday to honour Canada's first ever National Day Truth & Reconciliation. Around 2pm, all work stopped and everyone on site gathered underneath one of the the cranes. This included workers as well as some representatives from Northern Health and PCL's project teams.

PCL Construction Manager Michael King spoke a few words about the purpose of the new National Day (previously known as Orange Shirt Day) and the history of residential schools.

At 2:15 PM, an orange flag was raised on the boom of one of the tower cranes, and the workers stayed gathered together in silence, for 2 minutes and 15 seconds - to honour and remember the 215 Indigenous children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School - and the thousands of others - who never made it home.

Workers on site were silent for 2 minutes and 15 seconds to honour the children who didn't make it home from the Kamloops Indian Residential School - as well as all the others who didn't make it home, and those who did.

Indigenous workers on site, along with representatives from Kitselas First Nation Employment & Training department, in front of the orange flag that was hung from the tower crane.

PCL and Northern Health project team representatives. From left to right, Michael King (PCL), Les Krusel (PCL), Shirley Nichol (NH), Paul Rudecki (NH), Madison McCann (NH) and Derek Pearce (PCL