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National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will be a holiday for some in the Battlefords

New federal holiday will be observed at the municipal level
battleford town hall entrance
Both City Hall and Town Hall will observe a stat holiday Sept. 30.

THE BATTLEFORDS - Battleford and North Battleford will see municipal workers observing a holiday on Sept. 30 in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

It is a federal statutory holiday only, meaning only federally regulated workplaces are required to close. But in recognition of the date, both the Town of Battleford and City of North Battleford will be observing a stat holiday and will close their facilities for the day, with most staff getting the day off.

At city council in North Battleford on Monday night, a resolution passed for the city to operate at “minimal required staffing” and for city facilities to be closed on Sept. 30, to “provide city staff the opportunity to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools.”

Also part of the resolution was a direction to administration for “an approach on how best to observe National Truth and Reconciliation Day in future years prior to Sept. 30, 2022.”

At Battleford council Sept. 7, Mayor Ames Leslie confirmed that the Town of Battleford will recognize Sept. 30 as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. All town departments will be closed that day; Leslie said the only possible exception is the hockey rink which could see some prep work done before a scheduled Oct. 1 opening.