A British Columbia First Nation says at least 55 children have died or gone missing while attending a residential school near Williams Lake, more than triple the number recorded for the institution in the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation's memorial register.
The higher number is contained in an interim report from the St. Joseph's Mission Indian Residential School of the Williams Lake First Nation.
It says researchers will finalize ground-penetrating radar surveys this year and will hold meetings about potential excavations, exhumations, repatriations, DNA testing and genealogical mapping before any decision is made about excavating possible graves.
Currently “there are no definitive processes planned” for the excavation, he says.
It states that to date no confirmed human remains have been found, while telling skeptics that there is an “overwhelming abundance of evidence” supporting the legitimacy of the research being compiled in a scientific manner.
“Some Canadians find it threatening or uncomfortable that investigations into residential schools lead us to examine our colonial history and recognize the harm caused by the systems, policies and institutions fostered in our country for generations,” concludes the report released Friday. fair.
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“To Canadians, we stress that the discomfort caused by a reassessment of orthodox history is an inevitable part of bringing the truth to light. It is a necessary and healthy part of our evolution and growth as a nation.”
Investigators previously said that two separate searches using ground-penetrating radar at the former school detected 159 possible unmarked graves.
The Catholic school operated from 1891 to 1981, about 500 kilometers northwest of Vancouver, and the area searched covered 782 hectares of land.
The report says the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation's memorial register lists 16 children by name as having died while in the school's care.
It states that the additional 39 deaths or disappearances were verified “through archival documentation.”
The report claims to have received more than 61,000 documents and photos as part of its research.
The school was purchased by the Williams Lake First Nation last year with help from the provincial government, in part to help ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
The report says there are also initial plans to “reimagine the site as a place of healing.”
It states that the investigation team is working with the BC Coroner's Service, the RCMP, the BC government and others “to determine where – and under what circumstances – the excavation of potential graves and the exhumation of human remains may occur.” .
It says they are working on a memorandum of understanding on “excavation, exhumation, identification and repatriation of human remains”.
“At this moment, no definitive excavation processes are planned. Engagement sessions will be completed before any decisions are made,” he states.
