Chief of First Nation where graves of 215 children found grateful for outpouring of support, expects long journey ahead
The chief of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation on Wednesday expressed her “deepest gratitude” for the outpouring of support the nation has received from across the country and around the world.
Chief Rosanne Casimir, who held a news conference to provide an update less than three weeks after the discovery of the probable graves of 215 children on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, said there had been a “whirlwind of activity” as communities begin to grieve.
“We thank you for your condolences, your support, donations, and especially for your…outpouring of love,” she said. “We stand strong because of you.”
The top doctor for the First Nations Health Authority, who also spoke at the news conference, urged those impacted both directly and indirectly by the discovery of what she called “the removal of a (bandage) from a septic wound” to slow down.
“We’ve all felt a need to respond to the hurt, to the anger, and the deep need to be with people to share our pain and express our emotions,” Dr. Shannon McDonald said.
“Please take the time to heal and reflect, and to pace yourself for the journey ahead and look after each other."
Both Casimir and McDonald indicated that while members of the public were still welcome to visit the memorial in Kamloops, they cautioned against unnecessary travel and gatherings based on the fact the community is just now beginning to receive its second doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
“We need to be safe and stay local,” McDonald said.
Casimir also briefly addressed the final report the nation expects to make public after they receive it from the organization or company undertaking the survey work near the school using ground-penetrating radar.
“Given its significance, you can understand that there are a number of steps and due diligence that’s needed,” Casimir said.
“This is only the beginning and we want you to be a part of this journey with us,” she added.
According to the Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Columbia and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, there are over 30 First Nations communities whose children were forcibly sent to Kamloops from 1890 to 1978.
The National Student Memorial, part of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, identified 51 children who died at the Kamloops school.
The chief has indicated she believes these 215 children to be in addition to those 51.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.