Flags will be at half mast at municipal, provincial and federal buildings throughout the province to remember the 215 children who died while attending a residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation revealed the discovery of the remains in a news release on Thursday, saying they were found after working with a “ground penetrating radar specialist”.
The children were students at the school which was once the largest in Canada’s residential school system.
It’s believed the deaths are undocumented. However, efforts to determine if any records can be found are underway.
Premier Iain Rankin announced flags will be lowered at the Nova Scotia legislature and all provincial buildings from May 31 to June 8.
“It’s a horrific reminder of the damaging legacy of residential schools all across the country, including our province,” said Rankin. “My heart goes out to everyone thinking about and grieving the children lost, and to all the survivors of residential schools. We mourn with you.”
Meantime, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has asked that the Peace Tower flag and flags on all federal buildings be flown at half-mast.
Trudeau says it is to honour the lives that were taken at the former residential school and all Indigenous children who never made it home, the survivors, and their families.
“The news that remains were found at the former Kamloops residential school breaks my heart,” Trudeau wrote in a tweet.
The Kamloops school operated between 1890 and 1969. The federal government took over the operation from the Catholic Church to operate as a day school until it closed in 1978.
Further analysis on the remains is underway.
The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line provides 24/7 support to former residential school students and those affected. The Crisis Line can be reached by calling 1-866-925-4419.
