Breathtaking public space opens in Toronto for Truth and Reconciliation Day

A brand new 'garden' full of Indigenous art opens in Toronto this weekend in honour of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

Already one of the city's most popular venues for festivals and gatherings — including the Indigenous Legacy Gathering running from Sept. 27 to 30 — Nathan Phillips Square just got even better with the grand opening of the new Spirit Garden.

Featuring five different installations from artists representing various First Nations, the Spirit Garden, which is located in the southwest quadrant of the square, focuses on honouring residential school survivors, the children who were lost to the system and Indigenous culture.

The centrepiece of the garden, which the City of Toronto describes as a "teaching, learning, sharing and healing space," is a jaw-dropping two-metre-tall turtle sculpture by Anishinaabe artist Solomon King. The sculpture represents a number of First Nation creation stories around Turtle Island.

Surrounding the sculpture, you'll also be able to explore a teaching lodge, a planted garden displaying the integral symbiotic relationship between the "Three Sisters" (beans, corn, and squash), a 36-foot-long Voyageur canoe, and a granite Inukshuk sculpture.

Capping off the four-day Indigenous Legacy Gathering, there will be a grand opening ceremony for the Spirit Garden starting at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, with the garden officially opening to the public at 2 p.m.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is observed Canada-wide on Monday, Sept. 30 this year.