First Nations_Panel This new land was called Aldersville, in honour of Reverend Robert Alder, one of the founding missionaries, but gradually the "s" was dropped to become "Alderville". William Case and John Sunday were key members of this growing community. An Industrial School- a precursor to Residential Schools - was established on the land with the goal of assimilating the children to a new way of life. Native children from across the region attended the Alderville School as boarders, with the idea that their assimilation would be more successful if they were removed from their parents. Another school was established in Muncey, near London, for the Southwestern Ontario region. Given our current understanding of the terrible legacy of residential schools, it is not surprising that these institutions did not prove successful. Many children ran away or were forbidden from returning by their parents. While some took up aspects of the settler lifestyle, many of the men and women continued to practice their traditional ways. In the mid-1850s, the deaths of William Case and Peter Jones had a profound impact on the community. The Industrial School suffered and was closed shortly thereafter. While a new school was built, it closed for good in 1965 and children began to attend other schools in the area. At the time of Confederation, all responsibility for control over First Nations and negotiations with them passed from British to Canadian control. In 1876, the Indian Act established rules governing First Nations' political and cultural rights. It was revised in subsequent years to include the requirement for children to attend residential schools. Banning traditional potlatch ceremonies, and other regulations, were intended to assimilate native communities to European ways of life. John Sunday - c1839 "The truth telling and reconciliation process as part of an overall holistic and comprehensive response to the Indian Residential School legacy is a sincere indication and acknowledgement of the injustices and harms experienced by Aboriginal people and the need for continued healing." Truth and Reconciliation Commission From 2008-2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established as a response to the legacy of the Residential School System, and offered those affected the opportunity to share their stories. In its final report, it recommended 94 "calls to action" for all levels of government, including policy changes in areas such as health and education, and for all Canadians. The Commission has set the direction, but it is up to us to see it through. In February 2017, the first of several joint meetings between Northumberland County and Alderville First Nation was held. It is a program initiated by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in an attempt to build relationships between municipalities and Indigenous communities. Chief James Marsden stated in Northumberland Today that "this is about building a better country, collectively...reconciliation between communities". Canada may have formally become a country in 1867, but it was profoundly shaped by what came before. We can only hope to learn from this heritage, navigating the troubled waters of our collective pasts to a shared vision of 21st century Canada.