Welcome to our new website!

Welcome to our new City of Niagara Falls website! Explore our updated pages, improved navigation, and new features designed to serve you better.

Please note that for approximately 24 hours, you may experience intermittent changes or minor glitches as the update is completed. By January 8, the website will be fully updated and operating smoothly.

If you encounter any issues after January 7, please report them by emailing service@niagarafalls.ca or by calling 905-356-7521.

Truth and Reconciliation

The City of Niagara Falls encourages everyone to participate in Truth and Reconciliation Day by learning, reflecting, and taking action toward a more inclusive future.


Honouring Truth and Reconciliation – September 30

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a time to reflect, learn, and honour First Nations, Inuit, and Métis survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities. This day ensures the history and legacy of residential schools remain a vital part of Canada’s reconciliation journey.

This observance coincides with Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots movement inspired by residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad. At age 6, Phyllis went to the St. Joseph Mission Indian Residential School wearing the bright-orange shirt bought by her grandmother. She said she felt "bright and exciting", just like her shirt. But on the first day of school, her new shirt was forcibly taken from her, along with her dignity. This story is one of the many examples of harm that was inflicted upon the self-esteem and well-being of children who were forced to attend residential schools. Today, we acknowledge the denial of the rights and the wrongdoings of the past, and the present-day impacts across generations, including the trauma carried by survivors and their families. 

Learning about the impacts that it has had on generations of Indigenous families, languages, and cultures lies at the heart of reconciliation between Indigenous peoples who attended these schools, their families and communities, and all Canadians.

City of Niagara Falls residents are encouraged to come together in a spirit of reconciliation and hope to honour the Indigenous children stolen from their families and forced to attend these residential schools, by wearing the colour orange on September 30.

Learn about this movement, the woman behind it, and her orange shirt story: Orange Shirt Society.

Events and activities

Participate in local events, learn about Indigenous history, and reflect on ways to support reconciliation.

Orange Shirt Day & National Day for Truth & Reconciliation City of Niagara Falls Flag Raising & Lowering

The City of Niagara Falls will hold an "Every Child Matters" flag-raising and lowering ceremony on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, to commemorate National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. 

  • What: National Day for Truth & Reconciliation City of Niagara Falls Flag Raising & Lowering to half-staff
  • Where: Rosberg flag poles at Niagara Falls City Hall (4310 Queen Street)
  • When: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, time TBD
  • Who: Mayor Jim Diodati, members of City Council, and the community. Attendants are encouraged to wear their orange shirts

Learn about this movement, the woman behind it, and her orange shirt story: Orange Shirt Society

 

September 30 – Discover Truth and Reconciliation activities happening at Niagara Parks.

Lunch and Learns Program Overview & Registration

The National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation invites you to join daily Lunch and Learn webinars, an immersive experience that will help you UN-learn the myths of colonial history in Canada.

Lunch and Learn sessions are aimed at an adult audience, and open to the public, and will be hosted virtually over Zoom Webinar and streamed to YouTube. 

Expert matter speakers will present for 40-50 minutes before a Q&A between the moderator and guest(s).

All sessions will have simultaneous English-French, and ASL interpretation.

The Indian Defense League of America recently celebrated its 98th Annual Border Crossing Ceremony at Oakes Park in Niagara Falls. This meaningful event, held every other year in Niagara Falls, honours the unity, sovereignty, and enduring rights of Indigenous peoples across North America.

Beginning next year, Oakes Park will become the permanent home for this historic gathering - ensuring the tradition continues to grow and thrive right here in Niagara Falls.

The Indian Defense League of America is an organization comprised entirely of North American Indians, dedicated to the service and welfare of all Indigenous peoples. Their mission includes:

  • Defending and maintaining the rights and privileges of Indigenous peoples
  • Uniting all Indians under one organization
  • Perpetuating and preserving their heritage and sovereignty for future generations

Learn more about the Indian Defense League of America and its mission on their Facebook page.

Learn and reflect

The Niagara Region was a place of awe and wonder for the Indigenous peoples who first walked this land. Their ancestors' footsteps arrived approximately 13,000 years ago as the melting glaciers retreated northward, revealing the Great Lakes of Erie and Ontario and the mighty Niagara River while giving genesis to an environment rich with life.

In this exhibition, Empathic Traditions: Niagara's Indigenous Legacy, objects selected from the Indigenous collections of the Niagara Falls History Museum reveal the presence of Indigenous peoples, their art and history in the region, extending back hundreds of generations up to the present day. Vivid imagery of the artifacts combined with interpretive information helps us understand what life was like for those who first arrived.

By examining projectile points, stone tools, pottery shards, jewelry, and other ancient creations, as well as historic and contemporary items, we learn about the cultural connections Indigenous peoples developed with nature and their relationships with Europeans. We learn how the necessity of survival required the design of useful tools, how function influenced form, and how form created objects of great beauty. If nature is aesthetically pleasing and inspirational, then Niagara Falls must be considered a muse of epic proportions. From the first human encounter with the mighty cataracts, artful interpretation ensued.

Indigenous organizations in Niagara

Learn about the different Indigenous organizations in Niagara and check out their programs and services. You can also sign up for their newsletters and attend local events.

Opportunities to donate

  • The Legacy of Hope Foundation – This foundation is an Indigenous-led charity that works to educate and raise awareness about the history and ongoing impacts of the residential school system. Their goal is to provide needed resources for schools and to prevent the spread of misinformation
  • Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund – This fund continues Gord Downie's commitment to improving the lives of First Peoples in Canada. It works to build awareness and education on the true history of Indigenous people in Canada, the history of Residential Schools and encourages reconciliation through events and programming
  • The Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) – An organization out of British Columbia that provides essential services to residential school survivors, their families, and those dealing with intergenerational traumas

Contact Us

City of Niagara Falls
4310 Queen Street
P.O. Box 1023
Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6X5
Canada
905-356-7521
service@niagarafalls.ca