Former Kamloops Indian Residential School designated a national historic site

Courtney Dickson · CBC News

· Posted: Feb 12, 2025 3:12 PM EST | Last Updated: February 12

The erstwhile Kamloops Indian Residential School, where, successful 2021, Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc shared that preliminary findings from a ground-penetrating radar survey had recovered immoderate 200 imaginable unmarked graves connected the institution's grounds, has been designated arsenic a nationalist historical site.

The erstwhile residential school was nominated to go a nationalist historical site by Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, and the national authorities worked with the First Nation to find its significance, Parks Canada said successful a quality merchandise Wednesday. 

National historical sites are appointed arsenic places that have shaped Canada — beryllium it bully oregon atrocious — to assistance Canadians recognize the country's past and present. 

"The designation symbolizes anticipation and the imaginativeness of our ancestors for a prosperous aboriginal for our children, and those not yet born," Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc Kúkpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir said successful a statement.

Many of the buildings astatine the tract person been preserved and are utilized for education, including on Secwépemc connection and culture. 

WATCH: An wrong look astatine the caller nationalist historical site:

The Kamloops Indian Residential School was successful cognition from 1890 to 1969, aft which the national authorities took implicit medication from the Catholic Church to run it arsenic a residence for a time school, until it closed successful 1978.

Up to 500 students would person been registered astatine the schoolhouse astatine immoderate fixed time, according to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, and those children would person travel from First Nations communities crossed B.C. and beyond. 

It was 1 of galore residential schools and time schools crossed the country; much than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were forced to be church-run, government-funded residential schools betwixt the 1870s and 1997. 

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation estimates astir 4,100 children died astatine Canadian residential schools, based connected decease records, but has said the existent full is apt overmuch higher. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission said ample numbers of Indigenous children who were forcibly sent to residential schools ne'er returned home.

Several other erstwhile residential schools person besides been designated arsenic nationalist historical sites, including the Muscowequan, Portage La Prairi, Shingwauk and Shubenacadie residential schools.

In a statement, Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and curate liable for Parks Canada — which deals with historical sites — said the designation acknowledges the harms perpetrated against those who forcibly attended the institution. 

"The designation of the Former Kamloops Indian Residential School arsenic a tract of nationalist historical value volition service arsenic a testament and memorial to the children who were forced to unrecorded determination and who died there," Guilbeault said. "The bequest of their stories volition resonate passim aboriginal generations."