Report says at least 55 children died or disappeared at B.C. residential school

A British Columbia First Nation says it has complied files on 55 children who died or disappeared while attending a residential school near Williams Lake. A cemetery and a barn are seen on the former grounds of St. Joseph's Mission Residential School, in Williams Lake, B.C., on March 30, 2022. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

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.

A British Columbia First Nation says at least 55 children died or disappeared while attending a residential school near Williams Lake, more than triple the number recorded for the institution in the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation memorial register.

The higher figure is contained in an interim report into the St. Joseph’s Mission Indian Residential School by the Williams Lake First Nation.

It says investigators will finalize ground-penetrating radar surveys this year and hold meetings on potential excavation, exhumation, repatriation, DNA testing, and genealogical mapping before any decision on digging up possible graves is made.

There are currently "no definitive processes planned" for excavation, it says.

It says no confirmed human remains have been found to date while telling skeptics there is an "overwhelming abundance of evidence" supporting the legitimacy of the investigation that is being compiled in a scientific way.

"Some Canadians find it threatening or uncomfortable that residential school investigations are causing us to scrutinize our colonial history and acknowledge the damage caused by systems, policies, and institutions promoted in our country for generations," the report released on Friday concludes.

"To those Canadians, we point out that the discomfort caused by a re-evaluation of orthodox history is an unavoidable part of bringing truth to light. It’s a necessary and healthy part of our evolution and growth as a nation."

Investigators have previously said two separate searches using ground-penetrating radar at the former school site had detected 159 possible unmarked graves.

The Catholic-run school operated from 1891 to 1981 about 500 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, and the area being searched covers 782 hectares of land.

The report says the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation memorial register lists 16 children by name as having died while under the school's care.

It says the additional 39 deaths or disappearances were verified "through archival documentation."

The report says it received more than 61,000 documents and photos as part of its research.

The school site was bought by the Williams Lake First Nation last year with the help of the provincial government, in part to help ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigation.

The report says there are also early plans to "reimagine the site as a place of healing."

It says the investigation team is working with the BC Coroner’s Service, RCMP, the B.C. government and others "to determine where – and under what circumstances – excavation of potential graves and the exhumation of human remains can occur."

It says they are working on a memorandum of understanding about "excavation, exhumation, identification, and repatriation of remains."

"At this time, no definitive processes are planned regarding excavation. Engagement sessions will be completed before any decisions are made," it says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.