Flags at the Parksville Civic and Technology Centre (PCTC) were lowered to half-mast to recognize the discovery of the bodies of 215 Indigenous children at a former Kamloops residential school on Tk’emlups te Secwépemc First Nation territory.
The city has set up a memorial at the cenotaph on Craig Street next to the PCTC, where the evening lights will glow orange until June 9, according to a media release.
“A simple, quiet recognition will be held at 3 p.m. today, May 31. We encourage people to visit the memorial over the next few days, to pay respect for the lives lost, reflect on this horrific discovery and the healing that is so very important,” reads a release from the city.
The Town of Qualicum Beach said flags outside its facilities will fly at half-staff for 215 hours.
The City of Nanaimo also lowered flags outside city hall to recognize the 215 children buried at the residential school.
“We stand united in grief with our Indigenous friends and neighbours all across the country to honour the lives of those children, their families, survivors and all children who never made it home from this dark chapter of our history,” said Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog.
The Kamloops Indian Residential School operated between 1890 and 1969. The federal government took over the facility’s operation from the Catholic Church and ran it as a day school until it closed in 1978.
