residential schools

A 1957 aerial photo of St. Mary’s Residential School at Fraser River Heritage Park in Mission. Several years later the buildings were demolished after the new school was built in 1960. /Mission Community Archives photo.

Stó:lō Nation residential school probe finds 158 child deaths, potential unmarked graves

Findings announced for investigation that included ground-penetrating radar and archival research

A 1957 aerial photo of St. Mary’s Residential School at Fraser River Heritage Park in Mission. Several years later the buildings were demolished after the new school was built in 1960. /Mission Community Archives photo.
The Survivors’ Flag hangs to honour Indigenous Peoples who were forced to attend residential schools, on the grounds of the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. A Fraser Valley First Nation is expected to provide an update on its work into missing children and unmarked burials at three former residential school sites. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

B.C. First Nation set to reveal initial findings in residential school probe

Investigation has been ongoing into schools in Mission, Chilliwack and Yale

The Survivors’ Flag hangs to honour Indigenous Peoples who were forced to attend residential schools, on the grounds of the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. A Fraser Valley First Nation is expected to provide an update on its work into missing children and unmarked burials at three former residential school sites. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
English River First Nation Chief Jenny Wolverine, centre, says it’s believed 79 areas at the Beauval Indian Residential School could be the size of possible children’s graves and 14 are the size of infants, Saskatoon, Wednesday, August 29, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Geraldine

Residential school radar finds 93 Saskatchewan ‘areas of interest’

Findings at Beauval Indian Residential School could be graves of children and infants

English River First Nation Chief Jenny Wolverine, centre, says it’s believed 79 areas at the Beauval Indian Residential School could be the size of possible children’s graves and 14 are the size of infants, Saskatoon, Wednesday, August 29, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Geraldine
A key chain dangles from a fence as part of a memorial outside the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, B.C., Thursday, June 1, 2023. A Guatemala-based forensic anthropology organization is extending its hand to Indigenous Peoples in Canada looking to potentially recover bodies of children on the grounds of former residential schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Guatemala-based group extends hand on First Nations’ residential school searches

Fredy Peccerelli says his Indigenous-led excavations identify the remains of as many as 125 people per year

A key chain dangles from a fence as part of a memorial outside the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, B.C., Thursday, June 1, 2023. A Guatemala-based forensic anthropology organization is extending its hand to Indigenous Peoples in Canada looking to potentially recover bodies of children on the grounds of former residential schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Traditional dancer Odeshkun Thusky performs during a commemorative ceremony, Raising the Survivors’ Flag, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. The ceremony is “in memory of the thousands of children who were sent to residential schools, of those who never returned, and in honour of the families whose lives were forever changed.” THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Trudeau raises flag honouring residential school survivors on Parliament Hill

PM: Survivors’ Flag serves as reminder that some kids never returned home from the schools

Traditional dancer Odeshkun Thusky performs during a commemorative ceremony, Raising the Survivors’ Flag, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. The ceremony is “in memory of the thousands of children who were sent to residential schools, of those who never returned, and in honour of the families whose lives were forever changed.” THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon look on as First Nations Artis Alicia Kayley performs during the site selection ceremony of the Residential Schools National Monument on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Monument to residential school survivors, victims to be built on Parliament Hill

Governor general called monument is a ‘significant’ step towards reconciliation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon look on as First Nations Artis Alicia Kayley performs during the site selection ceremony of the Residential Schools National Monument on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Community members, joined by Six Nations Police, conduct a search for unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar on the 500 acres of the lands associated with the former Indian Residential School, the Mohawk Institute, in Brantford, Ont., Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. Indigenous communities searching for unmarked graves have seen a rise in individuals denying the disappearances and deaths of Indigenous children in the residential school system, according to a new report from the federal government’s special interlocutor on unmarked graves. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

How ground-penetrating radar is used to find unmarked graves at residential schools

The basic principle is that ground-penetrating radar sends an electromagnetic wave into the ground

Community members, joined by Six Nations Police, conduct a search for unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar on the 500 acres of the lands associated with the former Indian Residential School, the Mohawk Institute, in Brantford, Ont., Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. Indigenous communities searching for unmarked graves have seen a rise in individuals denying the disappearances and deaths of Indigenous children in the residential school system, according to a new report from the federal government’s special interlocutor on unmarked graves. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn
Kimberly Murray speaks after being appointed as Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools, at a news conference in Ottawa, on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Murray says “urgent consideration” should be given to legal mechanisms as a way for Canada to combat residential school denialism.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Canada should consider legal solution to fight residential school denialism: report

Report says increasing number of ‘denialists’ challenging communities that announce unmarked graves

Kimberly Murray speaks after being appointed as Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools, at a news conference in Ottawa, on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Murray says “urgent consideration” should be given to legal mechanisms as a way for Canada to combat residential school denialism.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Carey Newman is one of the driving forces behind a project that will add sounds of Indigenous cultures to the Witness Blanket he first began working on in 2012. (University of Victoria/Photo Services)

B.C. Indigenous artist collecting sounds across Canada for virtual Witness Blanket

Carey Newman, creator of world-renowned Witness Blanket, seeks sounds from residential schools

Carey Newman is one of the driving forces behind a project that will add sounds of Indigenous cultures to the Witness Blanket he first began working on in 2012. (University of Victoria/Photo Services)
Susan Cairns (left) and Cecelia Reekie, a former Langley school trustee, with the 215 crosses bedecked with children’s clothes placed in memory of the Kamloops residential school victims at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum at 21559 Fraser Hwy. Langley on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

Permanent residential school memorial planned for Langley park

Group asks to create ‘place of understanding’ at Township arboretum

Susan Cairns (left) and Cecelia Reekie, a former Langley school trustee, with the 215 crosses bedecked with children’s clothes placed in memory of the Kamloops residential school victims at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum at 21559 Fraser Hwy. Langley on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)
Apprentice carver Rey Dickie and master carver Stan Hunt stand next to the log that would be carved into a monument to remember Indigenous children who died at residential schools. (Tyson Whitney - North Island Gazette)

Residential school pole touring Island before Vancouver installation

Master carver Stanley Hunt preparing to unveil emotional memorial project

  • Jun 13, 2023
Apprentice carver Rey Dickie and master carver Stan Hunt stand next to the log that would be carved into a monument to remember Indigenous children who died at residential schools. (Tyson Whitney - North Island Gazette)
The Yukon provincial flag flies on a flagpole in Ottawa, Monday July 6, 2020. A Yukon First Nations community has begun its search for unmarked graves at a former residential school site with a ceremony that triggered strong emotions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Launch of search for graves at former Yukon residential school triggers raw emotions

A community report on the results is scheduled to be completed by the end of summer

The Yukon provincial flag flies on a flagpole in Ottawa, Monday July 6, 2020. A Yukon First Nations community has begun its search for unmarked graves at a former residential school site with a ceremony that triggered strong emotions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Marie Clements, creator of the film “Bones of Crows,” poses for a photograph during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin

Residential school drama ‘Bones of Crows’ explores ongoing legacy of trauma

The writer/director says fictional scenes depicting abuse at a residential school were shot at the Kamloops facility

Marie Clements, creator of the film “Bones of Crows,” poses for a photograph during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin
Members of the Six Nations Police conduct a search for unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar on the 500 acres of the lands associated with the former Indian Residential School, the Mohawk Institute, in Brantford, Ont., Tuesday, November 9, 2021. A panel of Indigenous experts says it will not participate in engagement sessions hosted by an international organization Ottawa hired to provide it with advice on identifying possible human remains in unmarked graves. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

Advisers on unmarked graves won’t work with Hague-based organization Ottawa hired

The national advisory committee says it raised concerns about the agreement

Members of the Six Nations Police conduct a search for unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar on the 500 acres of the lands associated with the former Indian Residential School, the Mohawk Institute, in Brantford, Ont., Tuesday, November 9, 2021. A panel of Indigenous experts says it will not participate in engagement sessions hosted by an international organization Ottawa hired to provide it with advice on identifying possible human remains in unmarked graves. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn
A woman places one of 215 pairs of children’s shoes on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery as a memorial to the 215 children whose remains have been found buried at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, in Vancouver, B.C., Friday, May 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Vancouver brings temporary residential schools memorial to a close after 2 years

City plans to ‘reactivate’ the plaza, including supporting Indigenous weekend markets

A woman places one of 215 pairs of children’s shoes on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery as a memorial to the 215 children whose remains have been found buried at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, in Vancouver, B.C., Friday, May 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
On Sunday, May 8, small row of painted crosses remained at Derek Doubleday Arboretum in Langley to honour the memory of the 215 children’s graves discovered at Kamloops Indian Residential School (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

Fewer crosses to remember residential school victims at Langley’s Derek Doubleday Arboretum

Weather, a wish to reduce work by ‘fabulous’ parks staffers, and petty vandalism cited for decision

On Sunday, May 8, small row of painted crosses remained at Derek Doubleday Arboretum in Langley to honour the memory of the 215 children’s graves discovered at Kamloops Indian Residential School (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)
A child’s dress is seen on a cross outside the Residential School in Kamloops, B.C., Saturday, June, 13, 2021. The shishalh Nation on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast says ground-penetrating radar has identified what are believed to be 40 unmarked graves of children on the site of the former St. Augustine’s Residential School. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

First Nation says 40 unmarked graves found around former Sechelt, B.C. residential school

Ground-penetrating radar has confirmed what the Nation says its members already knew

A child’s dress is seen on a cross outside the Residential School in Kamloops, B.C., Saturday, June, 13, 2021. The shishalh Nation on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast says ground-penetrating radar has identified what are believed to be 40 unmarked graves of children on the site of the former St. Augustine’s Residential School. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
After much buzzing and speculation on who won the grand prize, Thelma Florence is the winner of BCLC’s Lotto 6/49’s Guaranteed Prize of $1 million draw that took place on April 1. (BCLC)

Hope woman hits million-dollar jackpot

Chawathil’s Thelma Florence purchased winning ticket at Bee’s Food Market

After much buzzing and speculation on who won the grand prize, Thelma Florence is the winner of BCLC’s Lotto 6/49’s Guaranteed Prize of $1 million draw that took place on April 1. (BCLC)
Two hundred and fifteen pairs of children’s shoes are placed on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery n Vancouver on Friday, May 28, 2021, as a memorial to children who did not return from residential schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Vancouver asks artist, vigil keepers to end Indigenous children’s shoe memorial

City says art gallery memorial not aligned with spiritual practices of the three area First Nations

Two hundred and fifteen pairs of children’s shoes are placed on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery n Vancouver on Friday, May 28, 2021, as a memorial to children who did not return from residential schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Kwakiutl First Nation master carver Stan Hunt’s 18-foot monument to Indigenous children who were abused and died while attending residential schools is taking shape and nearly ready to be painted. (Megyn Williams photo)

B.C. residential school monument ‘asking for these children’s spirits to come home’

North Island master carver finishing 18-foot work in remembrance of residential school children

Kwakiutl First Nation master carver Stan Hunt’s 18-foot monument to Indigenous children who were abused and died while attending residential schools is taking shape and nearly ready to be painted. (Megyn Williams photo)