Warning: The story below contains details of residential schools that may be upsetting. Canada’s Indian Residential School Survivors and Family Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day at 1-866-925-4419.
On May 28, 2021, evidence of approximately 200 probable unmarked burials was found near the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, on the lands of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation. The remains were located with the assistance of a ground-penetrating radar specialist. Initial reports in May referred to an estimate of 215 graves, but that estimated number was revised in July to 200. Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir wrote that the deaths were believed to have been undocumented and that work was underway to determine if related records were held at the Royal British Columbia Museum.
Premier of British Columbia John Horgan said that he was “horrified and heartbroken” at the discovery and that he supported further efforts to bring to “light the full extent of this loss”. Federal Minister of Indigenous Services Marc Miller also offered his support. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the discovery “heartbreaking” the day of the announcement, and on May 30, ordered flags on federal buildings to be flown at half-mast until further notice. Some institutions flew the Canadian flag at half-mast for 215 hours, to mark 1 hour for each child
