CTV News journalist connects with his large Indigenous family for first time
From Vancouver, it takes the whole day to get to Alert Bay, B.C., off the northern tip of Vancouver Island. For CTV News reporter Ben Miljure, it’s taken his whole life.
Miljure decided to visit Alert Bay in the latest step in reconnecting with his Indigenous heritage. He’s a descendant of the Cook family, which held a special reunion that drew hundreds of family members from all over western Canada.
It was a difficult decision for Miljure.
“I was concerned I would feel like an outsider, a visitor," he said.
For most of his life, Miljure knew little about his Indigenous family.
“It would have been very awkward and embarrassing so I just avoided those conversations.”
A turning point for the 43-year-old journalist came when he was covering the discovery of suspected unmarked graves at the site of a former Kamloops residential school. During a live report, Miljure was overcome with emotion. Since then, he has made efforts to find and connect with family members.
The biggest void in his life was not knowing where his mother was. Elisabeth Hill was removed from her Indigenous family as a child. She struggled on the streets, and for 21 years her family had no idea where she was.
In 2018, Hill’s sister, Halie Bruce, a lawyer, testified at the Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women. Her testimony prompted the investigation to be re-opened and Hill was found living in a care home in Toronto.
“We were able to find Lisanne when the investigation was done properly,” said Bruce.
Miljure has visited his mother in Toronto three times. After that, he felt ready to meet his large extended family.
At the Cook family reunion, he met his 89-year-old grandmother for the first time.
“I was carrying a picture of me and my mom because she hasn’t seen my mom in decades. We hugged and we were both crying.”
The reunion held a special ceremony in the Namgis Big House to welcome Miljure into the family. His aunt Halie Bruce said, “Eventually we all come home. If we're lucky to survive the intergenerational impacts, we come home and our culture will save us.”
They presented him with a vest to symbolize how he will be covered and protected by his family.
Miljure spoke after the ceremony, clearly moved by the support.
“I have this sense of relief – this weight is lifted from my shoulders. I feel like where I belong. I really took the long way around but I am so happy to be home.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.S. schools turn to artificial intelligence to spot guns as companies press lawmakers for state funds
Kansas could soon offer up to US$5 million in grants for schools to outfit surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence systems that can spot people carrying guns. But the governor needs to approve the expenditures and the schools must meet some very specific criteria.
Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
opinion Harry and Meghan's Nigerian adventure: traditional attire to warm welcomes
For her latest column on CTVNews.ca, royal commentator Afua Hagan writes about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent visit to Nigeria, calling it a 'deeply meaningful campaign' that was about aligning their ongoing efforts to foster mental-health awareness and promoting the Invictus Games.
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
'It happened so fast': Evacuees describe fleeing Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire
Thousands have been forced to flee a wildfire burning near Fort Nelson. Meanwhile, some experienced volunteers are staying behind to fight the fire.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Michael Cohen takes the stand as testimony in Trump hush money case enters 4th week
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.