(Port Alberni) A First Nations community on Vancouver Island announced Monday that the first phase of searching for unmarked graves has begun on the grounds of a former federal residential school near Port Alberni.
Posted at 6:07 p.m.
The Tseshaht First Nation says research work on the former residential school site began on Monday and will take about two weeks.
Children from at least 100 First Nations communities in British Columbia are reported to have attended the “Alberni Residential School” from 1900 to 1973.
In a statement, the Tseshaht community indicates that the company GeoScan, which has already carried out ground-penetrating radar scans at other residential school sites, will carry out the same work in Port Alberni, in coordination with the community and keeping in mind the cultural protocols of the nation.
The press release indicates that an official announcement containing the results of the research will be published after analysis of the data collected by the radars.
Similar investigations are underway at former federal residential school sites across Canada, following the discovery of what are believed to be more than 200 unmarked graves near a former residential school in Kamloops, Columbia. British.
“We recognize that this work can be challenging for our people and those who still carry memories of residential schools,” the statement said. Together we work to find answers from the past and bring truth to the present. »