Manitoba news — Winnipeg did not wait for September 30. A sacred fire, a police reconciliation event and the inaugural Winnipeg Truth and Reconciliation Treaty One Run filled Saturday with orange shirts, survivors’ voices and a blunt message: one day is not enough.
By Maplestime Manitoba Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | September 30, 2026
Sources: Winnipeg Free Press, Treaty One Nations | Last updated: September 30, 2026
Key Takeaways
- The Winnipeg Truth and Reconciliation Treaty One Run was one of two major Winnipeg events on September 27 ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day) on September 30, alongside a sacred fire and a Winnipeg Police reconciliation event.
- Justice Minister Matt Wiebe spoke at the police reconciliation event, acknowledging law enforcement’s role in the residential school system.
- The Treaty One run started at Theodore Niizhotay Fontaine Park, the former Assiniboia Residential School site at 1496 Wellington Cres., drawing survivors, families and youth.
- The Southern Chiefs’ Organization holds its sixth annual Orange Shirt Day Healing Walk and Powwow on September 30.
The Winnipeg Truth and Reconciliation Treaty One Run: What Happened on Sept. 27
The weekend’s events were built around two gatherings:
- What: Treaty One Nations’ inaugural Orange Shirt Day 5 km Run & Walk.
- Where: Starting at Theodore Niizhotay Fontaine Park, the former Assiniboia Residential School site at 1496 Wellington Cres., Winnipeg.
- Who: Residential school survivors, their families and youth.
Residential school survivor Jennifer Wood attended and addressed the crowd. Albert Shingoose, father of Ashlee Shingoose, took the podium urging remembrance of lost loved ones.
A Sacred Fire and a Hard Truth for Police
Alongside the run, a sacred fire was held with a Winnipeg Police reconciliation event, part of the Winnipeg Truth and Reconciliation Treaty One Run weekend, where Justice Minister Matt Wiebe spoke. His words did not dodge the institution’s record. He said the province has “much work to do to address the over-representation of Indigenous people in our justice system” and added that “it was law enforcement that played an integral role in enforcing the residential school system.”
Survivor Jennifer Wood drew a direct line from the schools to today’s streets. The message from both the Winnipeg Truth and Reconciliation Treaty One Run and the sacred fire was the same: show up, then keep showing up. Speaking about Winnipeg’s homelessness crisis, she said: “if you went to speak to any one of them, you would absolutely be guaranteed that they are a direct descendant or a direct legacy of the residential school.”
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Reconciliation Cannot Live in One Day
That line, from AMC executive director Kayla Frank, is the thread tying the weekend together: “Reconciliation cannot live in ceremonies alone. It cannot be something we acknowledge for one day and then leave it behind until next September.”
The Orange Shirt Day Healing Walk and Powwow hosted by the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, now in its sixth year, happens Wednesday, September 30. But when the Winnipeg Truth and Reconciliation Treaty One Run crossed its finish line on Saturday, the bigger question had already started: what happens on October 1, when the shirts go back in the drawer?
Maplestime will provide updates from Winnipeg Truth and Reconciliation events as announcements are made.
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If reconciliation can’t survive a single day, what does Winnipeg actually owe survivors when September ends? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian who thinks one orange shirt is enough.
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