City of Burnaby: A Place to Reflect at Civic Square for the 215 Children Found in Unmarked Graves in Kamloops

Press Release

June 2, 2021

The community is invited to visit Civic Square, located next to Bob Prittie Metrotown library, where a memorial has developed in memory of the 215 children whose remains were recently confirmed at the Kamloops Indian Residential School on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.

Beneath a glass roof near the entrance to the library, a group of residents has placed pairs of children’s shoes as a way to honour the children whose remains were found in unmarked graves. This follows a similar tribute started in Vancouver by artist Tamara Bell, with the shoes in child sizes serving to remind everyone of the young age at which the children died. The City of Burnaby supports this location as a place for the community to mourn, reflect and honour their memory. Residents are encouraged to visit between now and June 11.

This week, Mayor Mike Hurley issued a statement saying that now is a time to elevate the voices of Indian Residential School survivors and their families, and take to heart what they have been saying for decades.

“They have spoken for years of lost family members and schoolmates, and of unmarked graves at the school sites,” said Hurley. “And they have collectively told us these stories during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which in turn told Canadians of these events in its final report in 2015. We know we can and must do more to recognize and speak the Truths shared with us, and to act in ways which establish and maintain relationships with local First Nations and the Indigenous people living here.”

At its meeting on May 31, City Council observed 215 seconds of silence, one second for every child. The flags at City Hall will remain lowered for 215 hours.

The Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch of the Burnaby Public Library is located at 6100 Willingdon Avenue.

IHT5