Indigenous Days Festival Wins BC's Top Reconciliation Award

When Indigenous and non-Indigenous neighbors started walking together on Canada's Sunshine Coast, something remarkable happened. Their grassroots reconciliation movement just won one of British Columbia's highest honors.

The syíyaya Days festival celebrates its fifth year this June with a BC Reconciliation Award and an expanded lineup of cultural events running from June 21 through July 1. The collaboration between shíshálh Nation, the District of Sechelt, and the syíyaya Reconciliation Movement has become a model for communities across Canada.

This year's festivities kick off June 21 with National Indigenous Peoples Day at the shíshálh Nation Hall. Steven Feschuk, the Nation's Protector of Culture, says the opening ceremony will welcome Indigenous people from across the region to drum and sing together in a grand entrance at 10 a.m.

"We're welcoming not only our shíshálh Nation community members, but the open Sunshine Coast community members," Feschuk explains. The day includes cultural displays, artisan vendors, traditional canoe races on the waterfront, and a feast featuring salmon and bannock.

Paddling holds deep meaning for the celebration. The Nation will rotate two canoes throughout the day so more people can experience this integral part of coastal Indigenous culture, with participants racing a short course from swimming rafts to the pier.

The festival expands beyond opening day with cultural walking tours, dialogue circles, and workshops designed to foster understanding. One unique addition this year brings community members together at Raven's Cry Theatre for World Cup watch parties, proving that reconciliation can happen over shared joy.

The Ripple Effect

The real power of syíyaya Days lies in its approach to healing. Rather than assigning blame for residential school trauma, organizers focus on truth-telling and empathy.

"We just want them to hear the truth, and then we want them to see if they have it in their hearts to walk with our survivors," says hiwus Garry Feschuk. He believes the award belongs to the entire Coast because reconciliation only works when communities move forward together.

Events like the KAIROS Blanket Exercise create spaces for that learning. The BC Reconciliation Award Celebration Ceremony on June 27 will honor this collective effort with a feast at the Nation Longhouse, featuring former Lieutenant Governor Grand Chief Steven Point.

For Feschuk, success means reaching even one survivor. "When you open your hearts, there's a lot of things you can accomplish," he says. "It's about walking together because we live side by side, so why can't we do things together?"

The festival coordinator Tatiana Velasquez notes that this year's theme, "Together making a difference," captures the growing commitment across the region to strengthen relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

The celebration concludes July 1 with a community parade and festivities at Hackett Park, offering a reimagined approach to Canada Day that honors all voices. Thousands of residents and visitors are expected to participate in what has become a cornerstone of Coast culture, proving that reconciliation thrives when communities choose to walk together.