Warning: This story contains distressing details.
The Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) says the future of the former St. Joseph’s Mission residential school site remains uncertain as investigations at the site continue.
WLFN Kúkwpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars said the First Nation is in conversation about how to proceed with the site, but the path forward is complex.
“It needs to be a place of healing. It needs to be a place of closure, of gathering in a good way, of honouring our ancestors and survivors,” Sellars said.
“People want to go to the site, and people want to honour ancestors and honour the survivors, but right now, it’s a crime scene. We can’t gather there.”
It’s been widely reported that the Williams Lake First Nation is planning to excavate the site of the former residential school. However, Sellars clarified that’s not the case; while a memorandum of understanding signed by the First Nation and government stakeholders allows for it, he said it could be decades before an excavation happens.
The WLFN has been investigating the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous children who attended St. Joseph’s Mission residential school, and the province says research has determined Indigenous children died “and are likely interred” on or near sites associated with the school. Ground-penetrating radar detected soil disturbances in at least 159 areas considered to be potential burial sites.
St. Joseph’s Mission operated as a residential school from 1891 to 1981 and was run by the Catholic Church. Children from more than 40 communities were taken to the institution.
More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were forced to attend church-run, government-funded residential schools between the 1870s and 1997. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation estimates about 4,100 children died at residential schools across the country based on death records but has said the actual total is likely much higher. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission said large numbers of Indigenous children who were forcibly sent to residential schools never returned home.
The federal government has given millions of dollars to First Nations in all corners of the country to help with site searches, research and memorials, including more than $7.8 million to the Williams Lake First Nation alone.
Last year, the province helped the WLFN purchase the St. Joseph’s Mission residential school site from a private owner for $1.2 million. The First Nation said this was to prevent development and ensure community members could visit the site for spiritual or commemorative purposes.
Several First Nations across Canada have employed ground-penetrating radar and other methods to search the grounds of former residential schools.
Two separate investigations using ground-penetrating radar at the former St. Joseph’s school site detected 159 potential burial sites.
Ground penetrating radar does not find human remains — it detects soil disturbances inconsistent with the surrounding area, which, combined with community knowledge, can help identify where there may be human remains. An excavation must be completed to confirm their presence.
Whether or not to dig at former residential school sites has been controversial, as some survivors want human remains left undisturbed, while others feel exhumation could help lay victims properly to rest and offer some closure.
And, as Sellars points out, it comes at a huge financial cost.
Last fall, the Pine Creek First Nation in Manitoba excavated at the Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church after anomalies were detected in the soil beneath the church. While no remains were found, the dig revealed other small bits of the site’s history, including old nails, glass, ceramics and animal bones.
WATCH | What comes next in residential school site searches?
The Ahousaht First Nation is the latest to release findings from its search for missing children who attended residential schools. The CBC’s Wawmeesh Hamilton explains the situation and asks what is next for sites where ground surveys indicate the possibility of unmarked graves.
MOU signed
On Monday, the province said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with WLFN setting out the process that would be used in the event that remains are eventually found, including recovery, identification and repatriation.
Sellars said the memorandum ensures the Williams Lake First Nation will set the First Nation up for future investigation.
“It sets us up for success if we were to eventually excavate, that we were doing it in a culturally appropriate manner and that we were leading those investigative works,” he said.
Sellars said the MOU is precedent-setting for other First Nations doing similar work, and the province said the agreement is the first of its kind in B.C.
“It’s just one less thing to worry about,” Sellars said. “This is going to set things up so that we are in control.”
Support is available for anyone affected by their own experience at residential schools or intergenerational trauma or by the latest reports.
A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.