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The city’s request for the memorial to be removed was originally made on Nov. 30.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
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.