What the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Means to Our Family Business

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation here in Canada, and it's a day I think about differently now than I did before this business existed. I want to share a little of that, not as a sales pitch, but because I think it's worth talking about honestly.

Where this business actually started

Shades of Gray isn't just a name on a bag. I'm a member of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan, and this business was built out of my own farm kitchen, my own animals, and a lot of knowledge about the land that didn't come from a textbook. It came from family, from community, and from a way of understanding food and animals that Indigenous people have carried for a long time, often without much recognition for it.

When I started making single-ingredient treats because I couldn't find anything I trusted for my own dogs, I wasn't thinking about building an "Indigenous business." I was just doing what made sense to me. It was only later that I understood how much that instinct, using the whole animal, keeping things simple, respecting where food comes from, was itself something I'd learned from where I come from.

What September 30 asks of all of us

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation exists because of the residential school system, a part of Canadian history that caused real, lasting harm to Indigenous families, including people close to many of our own communities. It's a day for wearing orange, yes, but more than that, it's a day for actually sitting with that history instead of moving past it quickly.

I don't think this is a day where an Indigenous-owned business needs to say much. I think it's a day to listen more than usual, to let non-Indigenous friends, customers, and neighbours ask questions if they have them, and to give space to the stories that don't often get told the rest of the year.

Why supporting Indigenous businesses matters beyond one day

I'll say this honestly: buying from an Indigenous-owned business on September 30 is a meaningful gesture, but reconciliation doesn't live in a single day on the calendar. What actually helps is when that support continues in October, and next spring, and the year after that. Every order that comes through Shades of Gray supports a farm on, a facility on Alderville First Nation, and a family that's building something on our own terms, using our own knowledge.

That's not a guilt trip. It's just the truth of what your order actually does.

What I hope people take from this

If you wear orange this September 30, I hope you also take a moment to learn one thing you didn't know before about residential schools, or about the community closest to you. And if you're looking for a way to keep showing up for Indigenous businesses after the day passes, we'd be glad to have you here, not because of where we come from, but because we make something we're genuinely proud to put in front of your dog or cat.

Every Child Matters, today and every day.

Learn more about our story on our heritage page, or shop our treats at indigenoustreats.ca.