Catholic order that staffed Kamloops school agrees to share archives with Indigenous communities
The congregation of Catholic women that staffed the Kamloops residential school for decades has reached an agreement with the Royal BC Museum to make its records more accessible to Indigenous communities, including the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc First Nation.
The Sisters of St. Ann and the museum signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday that they said aims to “provide enhanced access” to its private archives to the museum.
“We grieve with all of those who have lost children, classmates, ancestors in the school,” said Sister Marie Zarowny, president and board chair of the Sisters of St. Ann.
“Essentially we’re saying…we recommit ourselves today,” Zarowny added.
The congregation said Wednesday it had previously turned over its records from the four residential schools where its members taught, including Kamloops, to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission.
“We’ve realized they haven’t been accessible there,” Zarowny said.
“We will go through everything again and make sure we didn’t miss anything the first time.”
BC Archives staff will review the records, working alongside the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Columbia, who will act as a “neutral third party” to increase transparency.
Acting head of archives Genevieve Weber is reviewing other records from Kamloops, including from the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who ran the residential school.
Weber said while she understood the congregation’s records weren’t extensive, they would “certainly add to the overall understanding of the school and add a significant layer of context.“
According to the congregation, those archival records include correspondence, photographs, financial records and accounts of daily life.
First Nations have called for the Sisters of St. Ann to release any and all records it retains after the discovery last month of the potential unmarked graves of up to 215 children, some as young as three, on the grounds of the former residential school.
While Zarowny said the records included mention of child illness and death, she indicated she believed those names were included in the 51 already recorded on the memorial register of the National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation.
Likewise, while Weber said she’d come across records mentioning student deaths in the materials from the Oblates, every mention has been of a child already named on that list.
The Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc have previously said they believe the remains of the 215 children discovered using ground-penetrating radar are in addition to the 51 children on the register.
CTV News has reached out to the Nation for comment on the agreement.
The MOU is scheduled to take effect July 1.
The Sisters of St. Ann taught at the Kamloops Indian Residential School from 1890 to 1891, and 1893 to 1970 and also provided child care and nursing services.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.