Remembering Kamloops Residential School Victims

Officials have set up a sacred fire and memorial in the field of Pope John Paul II Elementary School in Thunder Bay.

It’s to honour the remains of 215 children that were found at a former Residential School in Kamloops last Thursday, which operated between 1890 and 1969.

Flowers, toys and children’s shoes can be seen along the fence facing Arthur Street, with more items laid around the memorial to the Saint Joseph’s Indian Residential School just outside the elementary school grounds.

Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins spoke to the assembled crowd Monday, many of whom were wearing orange t-shirts with the words Every Child Matters.

“What they found in Kamloops is a real reminder of the work that we have to continue to do,” Collins said before the ceremony began. “Bringing those names forward, and remembering who they were and what they meant to our communities, that’s the important part of today’s message.”

He said the crowd was gathered at the former Residential School site with heavy hearts.

“It’s a stark reminder of, again, the folks who went into these facilities. Some never made their way home, and that’s a tragedy in itself,” he said.

Peter Collins called the mass grave and the legacy of Residential Schools a “black eye” on Canada’s face.

“When people in this country continue to say, ‘Why is it you’re harping on about Residential Schools yet today?’ Well, this is why, because we still haven’t found all the young people who went into those facilities. We’re still looking for them, and we’ll continue to look for them until they’re all accounted for,” Collins said.

While he doesn’t believe there are any similar mass graves in this area, Collins points out there may be others elsewhere in the region near former Residential Schools.

With files from Colin Redston.