Lakeside Park in Nelson lit up in orange on Friday, as dozens of locals ventured out to show their support, and reflect on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The day honours the Indigenous survivors of the residential school system and children who never returned home. Residential schools operated in Canada for over 150 years, with the last one closing in the mid-1990s.

The Friday initiative, put forward by the West Kootenay Metis Society, was attended by many. One of the locals who came out was Mike Zeabin, who is also running for mayor of Nelson in the election, coming up in two weeks.

“I was born here in Nelson, but my grandmother was from Kiev, Ukraine and then lived in the Kootenays. A lot of her friends were natives, and myself,” he said.

“I support what they went through, the children, that were taken away from their parents and never came back.”

Zeabin said it was important for him to come out to show support for the many children who never returned home after being taken from their families – a pain he knows himself, after losing three sons due to health issues.

"You can imagine, losing your loved one. Your kid goes to school in the morning, and doesn't return."

Listen to a report from the event by KCR News reporter John Rune