Feds give Kamloops, B.C., nation $12.5 million for healing centre
The federal government is contributing $12.5 million to the construction of a healing centre at the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation almost two years after the nation announced the discovery of 215 suspected unmarked graves near a former residential school.
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told a crowd in Kamloops, B.C., that the nation has led the way in opening the eyes of the country to the truths that were always known to Indigenous Peoples.
The federal funding is in addition to $2.5 million committed by the First Nation Health Authority to address the harms of residential schools on Indigenous families, and $1.3 million from the authority to help the community with engagement and planning.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the funding commitment when he visited the community in October 2021.
The total cost of the centre hasn't been revealed and it's not clear where it would be built.
Members of the nation voted in a referendum to keep the Kamloops Indian Residential School building and Ottawa has also committed up to $1.5 million to assess the building for renovations and design upgrades.
Tk'emlups Chief Rosanne Casimir says in a statement the centre will provide culturally appropriate help to address the long-standing impact of the schools.
“The legacy of residential schools is one that has tried to take our culture, language and identity from us, causing profound damage.”
Since the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc announced the discovery of suspected unmarked graves, many other nations have made similar findings.
Hajdu says the nation is now showing what is possible along the healing journey.
“Canada will continue to support the survivors, their families and the affected communities through their healing journeys, on their own terms,” the minister said in a news release.
With files from CHNL
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
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.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
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.
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.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.