At least 55 children died or disappeared at residential school near Williams Lake, B.C.: Report

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

An interim report on the St. Joseph’s Mission Indian Residential School by the Williams Lake First Nation reveals this higher figure. The report states that investigators will finalize ground-penetrating radar surveys this year and discuss potential excavation, exhumation, repatriation, DNA testing, and genealogical mapping before making any decisions on digging up possible graves.

There are currently no definitive plans for excavation, according to the report.

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No confirmed human remains have been discovered so far, but the report assures skeptics that there is an “overwhelming abundance of evidence” supporting the legitimacy of the investigation, which is being conducted scientifically.

The report, released on Friday, concludes that “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.”

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The discomfort caused by re-evaluating orthodox history is portrayed as a necessary and healthy part of the country’s evolution and growth, according to the report.

Previous searches using ground-penetrating radar at the former school site had identified 159 possible unmarked graves, as per investigators.

The Catholic-run school operated from 1891 to 1981, approximately 500 kilometers northwest of Vancouver, and the search area encompasses 782 hectares of land.

The report indicates that the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation memorial register lists 16 children by name as having died while under the school’s care, with an additional 39 deaths or disappearances verified through archival documentation.

Over 61,000 documents and photos were received as part of the research for the report.

The Williams Lake First Nation purchased the school site last year with the assistance of the provincial government to safeguard the integrity of the ongoing investigation.

There are early plans to transform the site into a place of healing, according to the report.

The investigation team is collaborating with the BC Coroner’s Service, RCMP, the B.C. government, and others to determine the circumstances under which excavation of potential graves and the exhumation of human remains can take place.

They are also working on a memorandum of understanding regarding excavation, exhumation, identification, and repatriation of remains.

No definitive processes are currently planned for excavation, with engagement sessions expected to be completed before any decisions are made, as stated in the report.

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