Here's what 3 Thunder Bay organizations are doing to mark the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

While the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — Thursday, Sept. 30 — is not being recognized as a holiday by the Ontario government, it won't necessarily be business as usual.

The day is being recognized as a federal statutory holiday, which is giving businesses and organizations some freedom in terms of how they'll handle it.

In the case of Thunder Bay's Copperfin Credit Union, for example, staff will have the day off for reflection and education, CEO Dennis Alvestad said.

"We really started by, you know, trying to understand what are the best first steps for us, and the best first steps that we decided on was around education," Alvestad said. "So what we ended up doing was putting our entire board of directors, as well as senior leaders, through an Indigenous cultural awareness learning program, and we're building on that."

"When this became ... an opportunity to reflect and really honour the survivors of the residential schools, it just was a no-brainer for them to participate," he said. "I think you're seeing lots of credit unions across the country taking the opportunity to again honour those survivors, their families and the communities."

Thunder Bay's Roots to Harvest has also decided to close its doors for the day.

"Our offices will be totally closed," Roots to Harvest executive director Erin Beagle said. "Nobody will be at work. People will still be paid [for] the statutory holiday and people will be able to do whatever they want to do as they would on any other day off."