Prime minister to visit B.C. First Nation amid investigation into potential burial sites at residential school

Warning: This article contains disturbing details.

The prime minister will visit a B.C. First Nation amid an investigation into dozens of potential burial sites at a former residential school.

Justin Trudeau will make a stop at the Williams Lake First Nation this week, the nation's chief and council announced Monday.

In a statement, the nation said the trip was "a long time in the making," but did not provide further details on the visit.

Speaking on behalf of the nation, the chief said WLFN is honoured to welcome the leader and that there is "much to discuss about…the Government of Canada's role in residential school investigations, and Canada's commitment to the goals of Reconciliation."

The visit was announced as Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors were at the Vatican for meetings with the Pope. The delegations seek accountability for the abuses thousands of children suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church. 

The announcement also comes two months after a presentation on an initial investigation of the site of St. Joseph's Mission Residential School revealed ground-penetrating radar had uncovered 93 "reflections."

It has been suggested that the reflections may indicate the remains of dozens of people, as the area examined contained 50 potential burials that are not associated with known graves. So far, the geophysical examination of the site has been concentrated in 14 hectares of land that was used as a cemetery at some point.

The only way to determine what exactly is buried on the property near the First Nation is exhumation, and next steps are still being discussed. These reflections can be produced by human remains, caskets and graves, an expert said in a presentation on the initial findings in January.

St. Joseph's operated as a residential school between 1891 and 1981, during which the site was also called the Cariboo Indian Industrial School. The grounds housed the school itself as well as lodging for students and staff, and a farm and ranch were added to the Catholic Oblates' holdings at the site in the 1960s.

Thousands of Indigenous children were forced to attend the school during its 90 years, and those behind the investigation still intend to search the rest of the 470-hectare site.

It's expected that zone may even be expanded depending on what's uncovered.

While it's not yet known what caused the 50 unexplained reflections in the cemetery area, stories from survivors suggest that many children died and were buried at the school during its operation.

But Kukpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars said in January that many of those children will remain unaccounted for even when the investigation is complete.

He said survivors remember children being disposed of in rivers, lakes and incinerators, and for their families, there will be no closure.

The school in Williams Lake is one of several sites in Canada being re-examined following a search by ground-penetrating radar at what was once the country's largest residential school.

Last year, a search prompted by the discovery of a child's rib bone uncovered what are believed to be approximately 200 unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. That investigation, too, is ongoing. 

Since that time, potential graves have been uncovered elsewhere, including at former residential school sites near the B.C. communities of Alert Bay and Port Alberni.

For support for residential school survivors or others, contact the Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society at 1-800-721-0066 or www.irsss.ca.