Children's shoes still fill steps of Vancouver Art Gallery in residential school tribute
A moving memorial of more than 200 pairs of tiny shoes still fills the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery a year after it was first installed.
The tribute on the the steps facing Robson Square was created after the discovery of unmarked graves at what was once the country's largest residential school.
Haida artist Tamara Bell and a group of volunteers created the memorial honouring the victims and survivors of the Kamloops Indian Residential School the day after the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc announced what the search of the site had found.
At the time, she told CTV News decided on shoes, to give the public an understanding of the scope of the discovery. Bell said she woke up early, cried, composed herself, and came up with a plan.
"I'm a mom, and I can't imagine my child dying at school. I can't imagine a child that I love never coming home, and not getting an answer," Bell said last year.
In the year since, the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery have been lined with hundreds of pairs of children's shoes, stuffed animals, placards and paintings.
Desiree Simeon, who is also from the Haida Nation, is one of a small group of people who have been keeping vigil and watching over the memorial.
"I spend 24-7 here, day and night. I practically live here. I do have a home, but I reside here as a second home," she said on Sunday as she reflected on the impact of the memorial as she prepared to mark the anniversary.
"What we are looking for is to open eyes more to what we've already known for generations after generations of all this abuse. There are always tons of people that are shocked by what they hear from us when we provide the information as to what happened to the children."
While the future of the memorial has not yet been decided, Simeon says there are no plans to dismantle it any time soon.
"This vigil is going to be here till all the babies are found," she said.
On May 28 there will be a ceremony at the site.
There will be singing, dancing food -- the traditional way. Everybody's invited and we encourage them to bring more stuffed animals and more shoes," she said.
As for how long the shoe memorial will remain, the City of Vancouver told CTV News that discussions are still underway. Those conversations are being led by local First Nations and any decision made "will involve thoughtful consideration and time, and we will follow their guidance moving forward," a spokesperson said.
Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the announcement of the results of an initial search by ground-penetrating radar.
The local First Nation said the search of the grounds of Kamloops Indian Residential School confirmed what it already knew: the bodies of hundreds of children are buried at the site, children who were taken from their families and never made it home.
Those behind the research say what was discovered in the 7,000-square-metre search area were about 200 anomalies that could be graves. The only way to know for sure what is buried under what used to be an orchard would be exhumation.
Still, the initial discoveries correspond with stories from survivors who describe being asked to dig graves in the area when they were as young as six years old.
For now, efforts are focused on expanding the initial search area. There are still 650,000 square metres left.
If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line at 1-800-721-0066.
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article said that the city would have an answer "next week" about how long the memorial will stay at the gallery. The article has been updated with the city's answer, which is that discussions are still underway.
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.