Investigation at B.C. residential school only just beginning, Tk'emlps te Secwpemc chief says

WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.

The chief of theTk'emlps te SecwpemcFirst Nation says its members have met withmore than a dozen officials in recent days, as the community begins a long, painfulinvestigation intothe discovery of what are believed to be the unmarked burial sites ofchildren'sremains adjacent toa former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

Kukpi7(Chief) Rosanne Casimirsaid the community has spoken with federal and provincial ministers, a local Catholic bishop, Indigenous leaders and an independent expert from the United Nations in the week since announcing the preliminary findings.

"This is only the beginning and there is still so much work yet to be done," Casimir said during a news conference on Friday. "We're all grieving, this is unprecedented and we need to do the right thing and there is no roadmap."

The First Nation announced on May 26 that it had used the services of a ground-penetrating radar specialist to reveal what are believed to be the remains of children long believed missing from the school.Casimirtold CBCNews that, based on oral histories shared by survivors, the community believessome to have been as young as three years old.

The band's announcementtouched off countrywide grief and calls for more searches at other such institutions. Casimir said the community is "deeply impacted" and needs time and space to grieve.

"Our nation has been constantly collectively grappling with the heart-wrenching truth brought to light ... Our people, our families and our communities areat the centre of this pain," she said.

Final report on radar survey expected end of June

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report on the residential school system detailed harsh mistreatment of Indigenous children at the government-funded, church-run schools, where at least 4,100 children died.

Casimirhas said the band plans to release its final report from the radar specialist at the end of June.

Since the news broke, steady streams of people have stopped to pay their respectsand leave flowers, shoes and stuffed animals at the memorial to survivors outside of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Casimirsaid the outpouring of support has been "overwhelming."

She said theold residential school building will remain standing.

"For us, it is a very huge piece of history that we do not want to be forgotten, but something that will be learned from. The history, the ugly truths ... for all the future generations," she said.

Incomplete records

Casimirsaid hercommunity isworking withthe RCMPtoinvestigatethe potential unmarked burial sites but also told reporters she didn't want the public to lose sight of the history of the RCMP.

"We also need to declare that theRCMP forcibly removed children from their families to bring them to the residential school," Casimir said.

In a statement to the CBC,Staff Sgt.Bill Wallacesaid"the Tk'emlps Rural RCMP has attended the site, participated in meetingsand will continue working closely with the Tk'emlps te Secwepemc community leaders in determining the next steps and the best way to be involved in any investigative avenues explored going forward."

Some of the early investigation may provedifficult, however, because of a lack of records.

According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,the government and schools did not record the child's name in about one-third of the deaths at residential schools.For nearly50 per cent,they did not record the cause of death.

Further, Casimirsaid thatthe Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the Roman Catholic congregation thatran theKamloops school, hasnot released any records to the community to date.

"I have met with Bishop Joseph from our local Catholic Church ... this was just the first meeting since the news came out," she said.

Casimir said she is alsofollowing up on a statement made by the archbishop of Vancouverthat he has already shared recordswith the TRC.

Father Ken Thorson of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate said he committed this past week to transfer all of the congregation's records related to the residential school and make them more accessibledigitally.

He saidthe missionary would not be releasing personnel files, for example, the names of the oblates, saying that is in line with the federal Privacy Act.

The records in the missionary'spossession are the Codex Historicus, or books of daily records,documentingwhat was happening at the residential school from 1890 to 1969, before the federal governmenttook it over.

Thorsonsaid he hopes the transfer of the records will happen in the coming days.

In an email, theNational Centre for Truth and Reconciliation confirmed that it already had some records from the missionary prior torecent developments and that the missionaryis now transferringitsmain collection to the Royal BC Museum.

"We hope and expect to receive copies," a spokesperson said.

As for the federal government, whichtook over the school in 1969, it said itrecently pledged$27million to help communities locate and identify those lost. However, Casimir said the money isnot newbut is funding thegovernment had already allocatedtoward implementation of TRC recommendationsthat had not been spent. TheNational Centre for Truth and Reconciliation confirmed the funding was from 2019.

Casimir said that the cost of the current investigation is still to be determined.

Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools, and those who are triggered by the latest reports.

The national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and others. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour line: 1-866-925-4419.