Loyalist College marks beginning of Truth and Reconciliation Week with unveiling of timeline installation

Belleville, ON, Sept. 29, 2026 – Yesterday, Loyalist College marked the start of Truth and Reconciliation Week (Sept. 28 – Oct. 2) with the unveiling of Truth Before Reconciliation, a new large-scale timeline installation at the Belleville campus. 

Tracing colonial policies and the profound loss, trauma and harm they inflicted, alongside acts of Indigenous resistance and advocacy, the timeline invites viewers to deepen their understanding of our shared history, make connections across generations and consider how the past continues to shape the present. 

During Monday’s unveiling, invited guests and community representatives gathered at the Tsi Titewaya’taró:roks Indigenous Centre to experience the installation for the first time. Chief Maracle of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte was among those in attendance and shared remarks during the event.

“This timeline was created to help us tell a story about how colonial policies have shaped Indigenous experiences in Canada while also honouring the resistance of Indigenous Peoples and the strength of Indigenous cultures,” explains Loyalist College Indigenous Studies Professor Katharine Davis. “Our hope is that the timeline inspires important reflection and learning, for both students and staff at the college as we continue to move forward in truth and reconciliation.” 

The project was unveiled as part of Loyalist’s annual Truth and Reconciliation Week, which began on Monday with an Opening Fire at the A’nó:wara Learning Circle, where students and employees set intentions for the week ahead, followed by a Round Dance with drummer Jay Lomax from Dakota Tipi First Nation. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, Loyalist will recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, with students and employees encouraged to wear orange to honour survivors and the children whose lives were lost to Canada’s residential school system. 

The week’s activities also include the creation of an original artwork by Kenhtè:ke artist Melissa Brant on the interior windows of the college’s Indigenous Centre. The college community can observe her creative process and engage in conversation with Brant as the piece takes shape. On Thursday, Oct. 1, she will present the completed artwork and share the teachings and intentions reflected within it. 

“Every year, we build on our Truth and Reconciliation Week programming and evolve how we approach this important work as a college community,” says Dr. Jennifer Tewathahá:kwa Maracle, Executive Director, Indigenous Engagement and Applied Research at Loyalist College. “This year, we’re proud to expand opportunities for Indigenous perspectives to be shared across campus through ceremony, art, traditions and teachings. These activities are designed to encourage connection and dialogue, while inviting each of us to consider what reconciliation means in our own lives.”

The week will close on Friday, Oct. 2, with Intention Wampum Workshops, where participants will create a wampum and identify an intention they will carry forward in their lives, learning or relationships. 

“Truth and Reconciliation Week is an important opportunity to focus our attention, but the work of reconciliation doesn’t begin or end with this one week,” adds Mark Kirkpatrick, President and CEO of Loyalist College. “Our responsibility is to carry that commitment forward through our institutional decision-making, our classrooms and campus culture, and the relationships we build with Indigenous communities.” 

About Loyalist College  

Loyalist College is built upon the lands governed by the Dish with One Spoon wampum agreement. We affirm and thank the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabeg and Huron-Wendat nations for their continued caretaking of the land. At Loyalist, we empower our students with wraparound support services and hands-on training to succeed on any path they choose. Our academic programs are responsive and innovative, designed to solve pressing social and economic challenges and meet the evolving needs of our regional industry and community partners. Our graduates enter the workforce equipped with the knowledge they need to be better global citizens, and with future-focused skills to lead change in their fields. With a presence in Belleville, Bancroft, Port Hope and Tyendinaga, we believe our institutional responsibility extends beyond the classroom to seeing the big picture for the communities we serve. Our expertise in applied research and deep connections to local industry support economic development, to the benefit of businesses, entrepreneurs, changemakers and innovators. Our commitment to decolonization, and the pursuit of a more inclusive, equitable world, means we hold ourselves accountable to the diverse perspectives, cultures and experiences that shape our communities.  

– 30 –

Contact:   
Hannah Brown               
Director of Marketing and Communications              
hbrown@loyalistcollege.com