Saint Andrews has joined the growing list of towns and cities across the country choosing not to hold regular Canada Day celebrations this year in the wake of the recent discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves of First Nations children at former residential school sites.

Instead, the town will dedicate the national holiday to unite in solidarity with First Nations communities to reflect on the atrocities inflicted upon indigenous people throughout Canadian history and the painful and detrimental legacy of the residential school system.

Instead of wearing red this year, the mayor and town council as well as many citizens will wear orange on July 1st, the colour associated with efforts to remember Canada's residential school history. The symbolic gesture represents the need to acknowledge the truth about our shared history before we can whole-heartedly pave the way for a future in which reconciliation is possible.

The work all Canadians do on the path to truth and reconciliation goes beyond just marking July 1st differently this yEAR. At the Sir James Dunn Academy graduation ceremony at KIRA Amphitheatre in Saint Andrews on Thursday, Harry Sappier of the Passamaquoddy Nation and Archdeacon John Matheson of the All Saints Anglican Church both acknowledged the need to remember the victims of the residential school system in Canada.

The entire graduation ceremony for SJDA as well as the grad ceremony for the 14 graduates of Campobello Island Consolidated School are available on CHCO-TV's Facebook page. In order to do our part to serve our community during COVID-19, CHCO's production team donated their time and skills to provide coverage of local Class of 2021 celebrations, including the Grand March in St. Stephen on Sunday, which I was honoured to co-host with John Higgins. The 3.5 hour program is available in full--once again on our Facebook page.

Team NB finished 5th overall in the Canadian Chess Challenge 2021 over the weekend. Due to COVID-19, the New Brunswick team competed virtually with competitors from other provinces from their team NB headquarters at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre. 

Finally, if you're looking for an excuse to go on an evening stroll in downtown St. Andrewst visit the St. Andrews BIA's Facebook page called Waterfront St. Andrews at 8pm each day for a clue to a nightly scavenger hunt.

Those who submit their guesses online are entered in regular draws for prizes from local businesses, but the real prize is getting better acquainted with New Brunswick's beloved seaside resort town.