Honouring Truth and advancing Reconciliation at YVR

On September 1, we entered National Truth and Reconciliation Month—a time to turn toward hard truths, to listen, to learn, and to commit ourselves to the work of reconciliation. At YVR, the Indigenous Relations team, in partnership with the Musqueam Nation and our staff, hosted a series of meaningful experiences throughout the month to guide that journey together. 

We started by weaving hearts from cedar bark with Rita Kompst and later gathered to watch Sugarcane, a film that brings intergenerational trauma, healing, and resilience into focus. Under the bustle of airport life, the Musqueam-YVR Indigenous Art Market welcomed travellers and staff alike to pause, browse, and connect through Indigenous art and culture. In another session, participants shaped their own drums with secəlenəxʷ Morgan Guerin, learning how sound carries stories. Ancient processes of rope weaving, led by titə́yxʷəma:t Vivian Mearns Notaro, became both a hands-on cultural lesson and part of a collaborative staff project. 

These offerings were not just workshops—they were invitations. Invitations to slow down. To sense the cedar fibres between our fingers. To hear the pulse of drum beats. To acknowledge histories too long hidden, and to open space for humility, learning, and connection. 

On September 29, we gathered in our orange shirts for a shared photo, holding space for survivors and for children who never made it home. The next day—September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation—YVR paused to honour that remembrance: flags were lowered, announcements encouraged a moment of silence across the terminal, and we invited all staff to take that pause, whether at work or at home. 

Beyond our internal learning, many donated to the Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation through our Benevity program—because reconciliation is both internal and external work. 

This month, we did more than mark time. We wove practice, ceremony, and reflection into daily life. We invited stories, slowed our pace, and asked questions we can’t ignore. 

As September closes, we ask each person in the YVR community to take a moment to reflect on what you heard, what unsettled you, and what you resolve to carry forward. How will we keep walking this path together, beyond a month? What do we weave into our daily lives so that truth leads to genuine reconciliation? 

We have more work to do—together.