Winnipeg's mayor is making it clear that he supports National Day for Truth and Reconciliation being formally recognized.

Mayor Brian Bowman is asking Winnipeg's Executive Policy Committee to review a report being put forward to formally recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

“I will be supporting the recommendations in this administrative report and I am proud of our continued commitment to truth and reconciliation," Bowman says in a statement. Bowman is likely Winnipeg's first Metis mayor.

He is asking for flags to be lowered city-wide and the Winnipeg sign to be lit orange on September 30. City employees will observe the day and are being encouraged to wear an orange shirt on September 29.

“Formally recognizing the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation would build on a number of efforts put forward by Council and the City of Winnipeg to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice."

The city says this observation builds on initiatives already in place including:

  • Embarking on the Year of Reconciliation
  • Establishing the Mayor’s Indigenous Advisory Circle
  • Teaching the impact of the Residential School System through training for employees
  • Creating and implementing the Winnipeg Indigenous Accord
  • Initiating the Welcoming Winnipeg Renaming Framework
  • Sharing the history of Rooster Town
  • Installing the flags of Treaty One, Dakota Nations and the Métis Nation at City Hall

Bowman is asking Winnipegs to join the Indigenous Accord, now in its fifth year.