Train service commemorates Orange Shirt Day

North Bay, Ont.-For the second year in a row, a railroad engine has been painted orange and lettered "Every Child Matters" to commemorate Orange Shirt Day. In mid-September, 2021, Ontario Northland, headquartered in North Bay, Ontario, revealed their new paint scheme for locomotive 1808.

The North Bay, Ontario-based railroad's engine pays tribute to and raises awareness for Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also called "Orange Shirt Day," an opportunity for Canadians to learn about and reflect on a dark chapter in the country's history involving now-infamous Residential Schools, and to commemorate the victims and honor the survivors, their families and their communities, as called for by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Indigenous Peoples (First Nations) leaders. The annual event is observed Sept. 30.

The Orange Shirt Day grew from the movement called The Orange Shirt Society, which was founded by Phyllis Jack Webstad, a Northern Sacwpemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). When she was six years old, Webstad was put in a residential school in 1973. The orange shirt she loved, which was a gift from her grandmother, was taken away from her on the first day of school.

Webstad's experience was the basis of her starting The Orange Shirt Society, a non-profit organization that supports Residential School Reconciliation and creates awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of Residential Schools. Now, Orange Shirt Day is observed on September 30 every year as an opportunity to help Canadians reflect on a dark chapter in the country's history and to commemorate and honor the survivors, their families and their communities, as called for by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The Ontario Northland locomotive will travel from North Bay to Moosonee for several week, offering passenger and freight service.

Ontario Northland President and CEO Corina Moore says Ontario Northland is "is grounded" in its commitment "to create a better future," and that the train symbolizes that commitment. "It reminds us as individuals that we must listen and learn with open hearts," she said. Furthermore, Moore says the Every Child Matters engine "reminds us that the path forward is about the actions that we choose to take today but they must be based on what we continue to learn about the past. And that will guide us." Moore also explained that Ontario Northland is "powered by diversity, inclusion and acceptance" and one of the key values at the company 'is caring for one another.'"

"When it rolled out, it was very impactful to show how much effort the team at Ontario Northland went to create such a beautiful honor to our residential school survivors and the ones that passed on during that era," said Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod. He noted that a video of the unveiling he posted to social media received 50,000 views in one day. "And just judging by the outpouring of support on social media regarding this, it resonated right across Canada with a lot of First Nations."

While this is the first year for the Ontario Northland to paint a locomotive to commemorate the event, in September 2021, Canadian Pacific had an orange locomotive, CP 8757, with Every child matters" painted on it hitting the rails.

In the summer of 2021, 13-year-old Jacob Hoffer, an Indigenous youth, wrote to CP asking the railroad to consider painting one of CP's locomotives orange. CP sought guidance from the Orange Shirt Society, a non-profit organization that supports Residential School Reconciliation and creates awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of Residential Schools, to develop the special locomotive for the first Orange Shirt Day.