Results of search for possible graves at Vancouver Island residential school to be released | CBC News

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

A First Nation on Vancouver Island will release the results of its preliminary investigation into possible unmarked graves on the grounds of a former residential school near Port Alberni, B.C., on Tuesday.

The Tseshaht First Nation says ground-penetrating radar has been used over the last 18 months to check the area around the former Alberni Indian Residential School site.

Children from at least 100 First Nations across B.C. were forced to attend the school between 1900 and 1973, according to the Tseshaht First Nation.

“These preliminary findings provide survivors and our Nation with the knowledge and tools needed to continue our important and sacred work,” Tseshaht Elected Chief Councillor Wahmeesh, whose English name is Ken Watts, said in a statement. 

“We will never know the exact number of children who did not make it home, however we are committed as a Nation and caretaker community to uncover the truth and honour survivors and children who did not make it home.”

Probes at other former residential schools across B.C. and Canada have found hundreds of potential burial sites.

Results from the second phase of a probe into possible graves at the former St. Joseph’s Mission near Williams Lake were made public last month, showing an additional 66 “reflections,” adding to the 93 potential graves detected earlier.

Tseshaht First Nation’s announcement will take place around 1 p.m PST.

Investigations are critical, says survivor

Randy Fred, who survived nine years at the Alberni Indian Residential School starting from when he was five years old, says it’s critical for investigations into unmarked graves to happen.

“The process leading up to where we are today is something that’s really got to be continued because people want closure,” he told CBC News on Monday.

In 1988, Fred shared his story publicly in Celia Haig-Brown’s Resistance and Renewal, one of the first texts to detail the experiences of residential school survivors. 

He was also among survivors who told their stories to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1995 as part of the Blackwater vs. Plint case, which saw Alberni Indian Residential School dormitory supervisor Arthur Henry Plint convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison, twice, for the decades of sexual abuse he committed against children at the school.

Fred, now in his 70s, continues to tell his story to ensure the atrocities of residential schools are not forgotten. 

“We lost so much in that school. We were deprived of our family, we were deprived of love,” he said. 

Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools or by the latest reports.

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

Mental health counselling and crisis support is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat.