Additional tipi erected at Vancouver Art Gallery amid calls for residential school memorial's removal
An additional tipi has been erected at the residential school memorial outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, after the city and three local First Nations requested that the tribute be taken down.
A mother told CTV News that she and her two daughters plan to live inside of it.
The residential school memorial site was originally created in May 2021, following Tk'emlúps te Secwepemc’s announcement of the discovery of of 215 potential unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. It’s since been fenced off and blocked from the general public.
Tamara Bell, a Haida artist, originally placed 215 pairs of children’s shoes on the south steps of the art gallery and lit candles to honour children who did not survive in residential schools.
Her tribute became a gathering place for people to mourn, learn and pay respects to the children who died at residential schools across Canada.
The city’s request for the memorial to be removed was originally made on Nov. 30. The city acknowledges it could have handled the situation differently and says it did not act sooner because of the sensitive nature of the memorial.
The city says it understands there is a need for public, culturally appropriate spaces for mourning and healing from residential schools, and that those conversations have started and will continue with First Nations.
Last week, Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow was asked if he was aware of the memorial expanding, and he expressed disbelief.
"Very disappointing that they're not recognizing Musqueam and Squamish and Tseil-Waututh, and saying those kind of comments is very upsetting to me,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prison service to review decision to transfer killer Bernardo to medium security
The federal prison service says it will have a second look at its decision to move convicted killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security facility as political leaders of all stripes react to the news with shock and outrage.

Poilievre threatens to filibuster budget bill if Liberals don't meet demands
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is threatening to use procedural tools to delay passage of the federal budget in the House of Commons if the Liberals don't meet his demands.
About ducking time: Apple to tweak iPhone autocorrect function
One of the most notable happenings at Apple's event for developers on Monday is likely the iPhone maker's tweak that will keep its autocorrect feature from annoyingly correcting one of the most common expletives to 'ducking.'
Canada facing critical shortages of leukemia and thyroid cancer drugs
Canada is currently facing a critical shortage of drugs used to fight thyroid cancer and a form of leukemia.
Small-brained ancient human cousins may have buried their dead, according to a surprising study
An ancient human cousin may have buried its dead and carved symbols into cave walls, surprising findings for a creature with a small brain.
Facing evacuations due to a forest fire or flood? Here’s what to pack in a grab-and-go bag
While some natural disasters or bouts of extreme weather may require sheltering in place until authorities can restore power to the area, others require residents to evacuate quickly, sometimes in a matter of hours — and if you want to be prepared, you should create a grab-and-go bag.
Poor air quality, evacuations in multiple provinces due to wildfires
Wildfire smoke prompted warnings about poor air quality for many regions across the country, stretching from northern Alberta to the Atlantic.
Data shows COVID-19 hospitalizations, severe outcomes continue to decline, but we must remain vigilant: experts
Wastewater testing, hospitalization and death data from COVID-19 tell us the virus' spread continue to trend downward in Canada. But we're not at the end, and public health experts say we must heed lessons learned from the pandemic and remain vigilant. Read the analysis on CTVNews.ca.
Apple unveils sleek 'Vision Pro' goggles. Will it be what VR has been looking for?
Apple on Monday unveiled a long-rumoured headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter's ability to popularize new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public's imagination