File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Residential Schools

Tk’emlups chief thanks supporters, calls for slowdown of events near former residential school amid COVID concerns

Jun 16, 2021 | 2:58 PM

TK’EMLUPS — The chief of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc says the nation is grateful for those who have visited the local community to pay their respects, but it’s time for those gatherings and events to slow down.

Kukpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir addressed media Wednesday (June 16). She said the monument near the former Kamloops residential school and the nearby powwow arbour have been a “whirlwind of activity” since May 27, when Casimir announced the discovery of 215 gravesites near the school building, believed to belong to former students.

Casimir says the outpouring of love and support since the announcement has been heartening, but has also put people at risk in the midst of a global pandemic.

“There have been non-stop activities since the news broke. We want to respect and to uphold the need to gather and to do ceremony, however Tk’emlups community members are only getting their second COVID vaccination shots. So, with such high traffic in our community, we also want to ensure that pandemic protocols are being respected,” Casimir said.

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“Our shoulders are [bearing] a lot of that when it comes to public safety, which includes the COVID-19 measures, security and custodial work, as well as resources and the financial costs.”

Dr. Shannon McDonald, chief medical health officer for the First Nations Health Authority, echoed Casimir’s pleas, saying people have been travelling to Tk’emlups from far and wide.

“I didn’t have the opportunity to be in Kamloops, and chose not to be, but thousands of other people did go with their hearts, with their gifts and with their good intentions,” said McDonald. “But we still need to be cautious in the context of the fact that COVID is still active in the Interior Health region.”

Meantime, Casimir noted a report on the findings at the residential school is on track to be released before the end of June.

“The report is still in the works. Given its significance, you can understand that there are a number of steps and due diligence that are needed,” she said. “Given the worldwide interest, we will be sharing those findings when they are available. We are still projecting that to be toward the end of the month.”

Since the Tk’emlups announcement, 104 potential gravesites have been identified near a former residential school in Brandon, Manitoba.

Williams Lake First Nation has revealed its plans to search the grounds near the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School, which operated for 96 years. It closed in 1981 and has since been demolished.

“We grieve the latest findings brought to light with the help of science,” said Casimir. “This does not make any loss any less, the horrors any softer or the tragedy any lighter.

“There’s a lot of shared hurts and traumas and triggers that have been opened and that is something that I didn’t anticipate, but know that it’s something that we all have to face and we all have to acknowledge moving forward.”

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For more information:

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Support Resources:

KUU-US Crisis Line: 1-800-588-8717

Tsow-Tun-Le Lum: 1-866-403-3123

Indian Residential School Survivors Society Toll-Free Line: 1-800-721-0066

24hr National Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419