The Strathcona Regional District chair put out a statement on Friday (June 4) expressing condolences after the finding of 215 children’s remains in Kamloops.
The finding, announced May 27, was of unmarked graves of 215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. A national outpouring of condolences and grief, as well as calls for action followed throughout the week.
The message of condolences, dated June 4, reads:
“The tragic discovery of the unmarked remains of 215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School is a painful reminder of the residential school system’s legacy of violence and abuse. No words can make right a system designed to assimilate and extinguish Indigenous Peoples.
“The Strathcona Regional District Board and staff are heartbroken of the findings. We would like to acknowledge and express our sympathy to the Tk’emplups te Secwepemc and all Indigenous people affected by the tragedy discovered at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, the communities and all those grieving.
“We all have a responsibility to act. The SRD is committed to learn and reconcile with the Indigenous People in our communities.
“We must strive to better understand the painful legacy of the residential school system and support First Nations communities here at home, across BC and throughout Canada.”
National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day at 1-866-925-4419.
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marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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