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215! THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN'S BODIES DISCOVERED.

We can not change what MacDonald did or his attitude toward indigenous Canadians, but we can take a stand against further racism.

Citizens are demanding a full-scale evaluation of every former residential school property.

"But this learning must be done on the terms of the survivors. It is for the descendants of the children – including any living siblings, parents or even grandparents – and for their community to guide what happens next. They will let us know what we must do."

"Lofty rhetoric and mournful platitudes will not change the laws, policies and practices of governments that have resulted in the violations of the human rights of Indigenous peoples in the past and continue to do so today. We need deliberate, coherent and intentional action."

MP Jody Wilson-Rayborn offers her perspective https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-kamloops-residential-schools-unmarked-graves-a-painful-reminder-of-why/

24 comments

24 Comments

Home tuition

Sep 23, 2021

Wonderful article. It's very useful. As a home tuition service provider, I really appreciate your post. Thanks for sharing this with us.

jmcerik

Jun 25, 2021

The starting date for the information release is next week. Let's see if the order is fulfilled. "B.C. Archives staff will act as a “neutral third party” and begin auditing records on July 1."

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 24, 2021

"The order of nuns that taught at the former Kamloops residential school, and others in the province, has agreed to provide access to their records that could help shine light on what happened there and how 215 children ended up in unidentified graves."

https://www.vicnews.com/news/sisters-of-st-ann-agree-to-work-with-royal-b-c-museum-to-release-residential-school-records/

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 08, 2021

An excellent read.

http://education.historicacanada.ca/files/103/ResidentialSchools_Printable_Pages.pdf

Children were not returned to their families when they were released from residential homes.

"As residential schools close, thousands of Indigenous children are taken from their families by provincial and federal social workers and placed in foster or adoption homes. Often these homes are non-Indigenous. Some children are even placed outside of Canada."

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 08, 2021

Woman wielding knife killed by police!

No charges against New Brunswick police officer in death of Chantel Moore

An autopsy will be held in December. We hope there is a competent “Use of Force” expert present.

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 08, 2021

Replying to

"He was not equipped with a Taser."

I've had this discussion with many police officers and their collective reply is always that they are not trained to defend themselves against a knife wielding assailant.

And now a person is dead.

I suspect that the officer being cleared is entirely based on the fact that he was doing what he was trained to do and that was not to defend himself against a person with a knife.

I'm often castigated by the officers I train for my position on defensive tactics vis-à-vis knives even when I demonstrate that they can not pull their firearm and shoot it before an attacker is on them...given a specific distance.

"It has been one year since Chantel Moore’s death. The Indigenous woman was killed by a police officer during a wellness check, prompting questions and calls for policing reforms across the country. As Travis Fortnum reports, her family says not enough has changed.

New Brunswick’s public prosecution service says no charges are warranted against the police officer involved in the death.

Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman from Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in British Columbia, was shot and killed by an Edmundston police officer who was called to do a wellness check on her on June 4, 2020.

In a release issued late Monday, Public Prosecution Services said the Crown has concluded its review of a report done by Quebec’s Bureau of Independent Investigations, which investigated the case because New Brunswick does not have its own police oversight agency.

The bureau’s report said on the day Moore was killed, a person made a call to the Edmundston police to ensure the safety of Moore at around 2 a.m.

When police arrived, Moore allegedly opened the door to her apartment holding a knife and walked toward the police officer. The officer allegedly stepped back and asked Moore to drop the knife. When that didn’t happen, he fired four times.

The watchdog agency concluded its report in December and handed it off to New Brunswick’s public prosecution service to determine if charges should be laid.

“Based on the review of the evidence, it is of our opinion that in the early morning hours of June 4, the officer in question did believe, on reasonable grounds, that force or a threat of force was being used against him by Ms. Moore, that he shot at Ms. Moore for the purpose of defending or protecting himself and that his actions were reasonable under the circumstances,” said Monday’s release.

“The action of the officer was in response to a potential lethal threat approaching him quickly, having no other escape option available on the third-floor balcony he was confined to, and following repeated orders that Ms. Moore drop the weapon she was holding.”

It went on to say that the officer was justified in “doing what is required or authorized to do and in using as much force as is necessary for that purpose.”

Moore’s family has previously said that the circumstances did not warrant her being shot multiple times.

The release said the circumstances surrounding her death were “tragic.”

“Chantel was a beloved daughter, mother, sister and friend. She was a member of Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in British Columbia who had recently moved to New Brunswick to be closer to her family,” it said.

“We offer our deepest sympathies to her loved ones and to the communities touched by this loss.”

Moore was the first of two Indigenous people to be shot and killed by police in New Brunswick that month. Rodney Levi was killed by the RCMP just over a week later in Sunny Corner, N.B. Prosecutors also decided to not charge the officers in that case.

On Monday, chief coroner Jérôme Ouellette announced an inquest — a formal court proceeding that allows for the public presentation of all evidence related to a death -– is scheduled to begin on Dec. 6.

The exact location of the inquest and the presiding coroner will be announced at a later date, according to a release from the Department of Justice and Public Safety.

“At the inquest, the presiding coroner and a jury will publicly hear evidence from witnesses to determine the facts surrounding this death,” the release said.

“The jury will have the opportunity to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances in the future.”

The release noted that the coroner service does not make any finding of legal responsibility, nor does it assign blame.

In a statement, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council called Moore a “young beautiful mother” and said they were outraged by the news that the officer would not be charged.

“This reality is reflective of Canada’s persisting colonization and genocidal practices. No one deserves to be gunned down on a wellness check,” the council wrote.

They go on to say they demand policy that “reflects meaningful change, accountability, and respect for all human beings, not more killings.”

The council’s president, Judith Sayers, points out there was no body cam evidence and no witnesses.

“Shooting 4 times is excessive force by anyone’s standards except the Crown counsel,” she stated.

The council says they will not stop seeking justice for Moore, and that her mother is considering a civil suit.

Public Prosecution Services met with Moore’s family on Monday before the review was released.

According to the review and analysis of the case by Patrick Wilbur, the Saint John regional director of Public Prosecution Services, Moore hung out with a female friend and an acquaintance at her apartment the night she was killed.

She was drinking, but was coherent and in good spirits, according to her friend. One neighbor came by that evening to ask them to keep it down.

The acquaintance left earlier in the evening and the friend left around midnight. She came back around 1 a.m. to retrieve her wallet, which she left behind, and said Moore was alone in the apartment at the time and was drinking.

“When (the friend) left for the second time that evening, Ms. Moore accompanied her to her car and Ms. Moore was on her phone. The conversation appeared normal, not sad or angry in tone,” it said.

Phone records show Moore had multiple conversations with people through her phone that night, including her ex-boyfriend who called the police.

The review said he called the police around 2 a.m. from his home in Quebec after receiving concerning messages, “which led him to believe that someone had ‘pirated’ or taken control of her Facebook Messenger account.”

B.C. family marks one year since Chantel Moore’s death

“Due to the content and tone of the messages, including one which suggested that the writer was watching her sleep and maybe was present with her, he became concerned enough to call 9-1-1,” it said.

An Edmundston Police Force officer arrived to the scene at 2:30 a.m. after getting Moore’s address from her mother. According to his police narrative, he climbed the stairs leading to her third-floor apartment and knocked on the window to wake up Moore, who was sleeping on the couch.

It said he turned his flashlight on himself to illuminate the fact that he was wearing a police uniform and pointed at her door.

The officer then observed her retrieving a “metallic” object from her kitchen counter and she “appeared angry” as she approached the door. The officer said he backed up from the door and removed his side arm from his holster.

He also had a pepper spray and a baton, but, the review said, “given how quickly the events unfolded and the nature of the threat he faced this author can’t say that the use of force was disproportionate.” He was not equipped with a Taser.

It said Moore opened the door and exited the apartment, moving in his direction with a “small steak knife” in her left hand. It said the officer told her repeatedly in French to drop the knife as he backed up toward the end of the balcony.

“He said that Ms. Moore continued her movement towards him, with the knife held as if she wanted to stab or slash him,” it said. “Officer 1 said that he was now cornered. He had nowhere to go as he was at the end of a third-floor balcony.”

The officer then fired four shots at Moore before she fell on the floor of the balcony. Another officer arrived and called an ambulance. She died at the scene.

According to Moore’s autopsy, the cause of death “was found to be extensive injuries to the internal organs caused by gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen.”

While the review described her death as “deeply regrettable,” it concluded it was as a result of her “being severely impaired by alcohol” and exiting her apartment with a knife and advancing upon the officer.

The review said the officer – a use of force instructor – “expressed regret” over going to his left, instead of his right, as Moore exited her apartment.

“He knew that an officer should always take into account/consideration your environment, to ensure that you leave yourself an exit path, and not cornering himself as he did,” it said.

“After the fact, he regrets his decision to go left and not towards the stairs, as he would have had an exit route. He acknowledges that had he done that, the sequence of events may have had a different outcome.”

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 08, 2021

Sheena Kennedy

1. Nine year old Vicky Stewart of the Tsimshian nation was killed at the United Church residential school in Edmonton on April 9, 1958 by school matron Ann Knizky, who hit Vicky over the head with a two by four. The RCMP refused to press charges against either Knizky or the United Church, and threatened Vicky`s family with imprisonment if they pursued the matter.

2. Margaret Sepass was raped and then beaten to death by an Anglican priest named John Warner on December 5, 1969, at St. Michael’s Indian school in Alert Bay, British Columbia. Margaret was nine years old. Her burial site is unknown and John Warner was never charged.

3. On January 5, 1938, Albert Gray was beaten to death by Reverend Alfred Caldwell of the United Church of Canada when Albert took a prune from a jar without permission. Albert was eleven years old. His body was buried in secret behind the Ahousat Indian school and Alfred Caldwell was never charged.

4. On December 24, 1946, the same Principal Caldwell kicked 14 year old Maisie Shaw to her death down a flight of stairs at the United Church`s Alberni residential school, as witnessed by Harriett Nahanee. The RCMP covered up the murder.

5. On April 3, 1964, Richard Thomas was sodomized and then strangled to death by Catholic priest Terence McNamara at the Kuper Island Indian school. Richard was buried in secret in an orchard south of the school, and Terence McNamara, who is still alive, was never charged.

6. Elaine Dick, age 6, was kicked to death by a nun in April of 1964 at the Squamish Indian school in Vancouver. The RCMP refused to press charges when requested by the victim`s family.

7. Daniel Kangetok, age 4, was infected with an untreatable virus as part of a Defense Research Board experimental program funded by the Canadian military. He was left to die at the Carcross Anglican residential school in the Yukon, in February of 1971.

8. David Sepass, age 8, was pushed down some stairs by a priest at the Kuper Island catholic school and left to die, early in 1958.

9. A newborn Cree baby was burned alive by a senior priest at the Catholic Muscowegan Indian school near Regina in May of 1944, as witnessed by Irene Favel. The priest was never charged.

10. Susan Ball, age 5, starved to death in a closet at the United Church Edmonton residential school during the winter term of 1959, after being confined there by a church matron for speaking her own language.

11. Pauline Frank, age 8, died from medical experimentation performed by Canadian army researchers at the Nanaimo Indian Hospital in March of 1972. Her body was buried in secret on the grounds of the hospital, which is still restricted military property.

12. Albert Baptiste, age 9, died from electric shocks from a cattle prod wielded by a catholic priest at the Mission residential school over Christmas in 1951.

13. Nancy Joe, age 14, died from involuntary drug testing by military doctors at the Nanaimo Indian hospital in the spring of 1967.

14. Lorraine white, teenager, was gang raped by United Church residential school staff and left to die, Port Alberni, summer of 1971.

15. Eighteen Mohawk children, all under the age of sixteen, were shot to death by Canadian soldiers outside Brantford, Ontario, in the summer of 1943, as witnessed by Rufus McNaughton. The children were buried in secret in a mass grave.

16. Johnny Bingo Dawson, an eyewitness to crimes in Anglican residential schools and a leader of protests against these criminal churches, died of injuries from a police beating after being threatened by them, in Vancouver on December 9, 2009. Official cause of death was alcohol poisoning, despite the absence of alcohol in his blood.

17. Ricky Lavallee, the eyewitness to Bingo’s beating by the Vancouver police, died of a blow to his chest in early January of 2011.

18. Harriett Nahanee, the first eyewitness to a residential school murder to go public, died after mistreatment in a Vancouver jail, February, 2007.

19. Nora Bernard, the first aboriginal in Canada to sue the Catholic church for residential school crimes, was murdered in December of 2007 on the eve of Canada`s official spin doctoring of the residential school genocide. … and more than 50,000 others, all of them children. No-one has ever been charged or tried under Canadian law for any these killings. And the criminal government and churches responsible for this mass murder have been legally absolved of any responsibility for them under Canadian law. Nothing has been healed. Nothing has been reconciled. Justice has been exterminated as completely as these innocent victims.

**Pictured is Victoria Stewart 1949-1958**

Thank you Harold Joseph and Sheena Kennedy for sharing.

Steve Weatherbe

Jun 08, 2021

Replying to

I notice this version of the list leaves out the claim that Queen Elizabeth abducted 10 children from the Kamloops school in 1964.

Susan Quinn

Jul 02, 2021

Replying to

I'm dealing with a sceptic and would love to send her this list, but would like to have an answer to her inevitable question "where did this info come from". Do you know?

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 08, 2021

Andrea Bocelli offers this appropriate piece.

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 07, 2021

"It was the best Christmas."

"One year during the Christmas season, Sister [Mother Superior Sister Catherine of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration] was marching down the cellar steps to check if we stole any food. She fell on the bottom step-Crash! She hit her head bad! Not long after, she died."

The above was told to Mary Annette Pember by her mother who, as Mom says, "Survived civilization."

Images courtesy of Bad River Historic Preservation Office and Mary Annette Pember

Journalist Pember documents the many conversations between her and her mother as well as other survivors of residential schools on the Ojibwe reservation in Odanah, Wisconsin.

Pember's drive for the truth took her to the Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she found records of her mother's attendance in the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions records.

The move to wipe out Native American culture began in 1819 with the Civilization Fund Act, its assimilationist policies and forced attendance at boarding schools.

Like Canada's John MacDonald, America's objective was genocide.

Photo credit R.G. Miller

Read more of Annette Pember's discoveries, her mother's reaction to the multitude of questions about the atrocities and Pember's interviews with Canadian residential school survivors. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/03/traumatic-legacy-indian-boarding-schools/584293/

Our appreciation to Ms. Pember and The Atlantic for this education.

jmcerik

Jun 08, 2021

Replying to

I read that Barack Obama officially apologized for the residential schools and the trauma they inflicted on children and families but he did so with a caveat. Native Americans were blocked from suing the government or the religious groups who inflicted the pain.

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 07, 2021

"Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir said the band’s findings are preliminary and a full report is expected to be completed by the end of June, which will be shared with band members, home communities of residential school students and the media."

https://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/news/records-sought-building-will-remain-as-tk-eml%C3%BAps-continues-investigating-215-unmarked-graves-1.24326974

"Transport Canada has issued a notice banning all air traffic, including drones, from flying lower than 500 feet above the Kamloops Indian Residential School area on the Tk’emlups reserve." https://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/news/transport-canada-declares-no-fly-zone-above-former-kamloops-indian-residential-school-area-1.24326930

jmcerik

Jun 08, 2021

Replying to

Thank you Transport Canada.

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 14, 2021

Replying to

June 14

Here is the latest on searching for additional grave sites.

"Experts familiar with the complexities of searching for unmarked graves are being deluged with questions from First Nations communities wondering how to start the emotional process at former residential school sites. There's also concern some Indigenous groups may be taken advantage of by companies offering to survey land for them without the proper expertise or technology. That's why a group of archaeologists and academics have created free online resources answering questions and explaining the process and the complexities. They say it's a way of empowering communities to make decisions based on information they can trust."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/new-resources-help-indigenous-communities-start-process-of-searching-for-unmarked-graves-1.6063978?cmp=newsletter_CBC%20News%20Morning%20Brief_4062_280564

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 07, 2021

The solution is really this simple.

jmcerik

Jun 08, 2021

Replying to

Perfect!!

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 07, 2021

How do we change the RCMP's attitude toward Canada's First Nations?

Will the recent revelation in Kamloops prompt action from RCMP Commissioner Lucki?

More needs to be done to weed out the racists, misogynists and sexual assailants and teach personal interaction at Depot because whatever their course configuration is, it is certainly not producing what Canada needs in a federal police force.

jmcerik

Jun 08, 2021

Replying to

This is not an isolated incident. There have been several abuses in Kelowna, BC which after a brief news run are forgotten. How do we get Canadians to wake up and make changes? Does Surrey, BC have the answer? Get rid of the RCMP!

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 07, 2021

"Statue of Egerton Ryerson 'will not be restored or replaced' after it was toppled at downtown rally."

"Egerton Ryerson is widely known for his contributions to Ontario's public educational system. As Chief Superintendent of Education, Ryerson's recommendations were instrumental in the design and implementation of the Indian Residential School System."

And yet there will be those who claim changing the school's name will not reverse history and therefore should stay.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/statue-of-egerton-ryerson-brought-down-1.6055676?cmp=newsletter_CBC%20News%20Morning%20Brief_4011_277521

jmcerik

Jun 08, 2021

Replying to

We really have been living with our heads in the sand. This should have been done years ago.

Jackson Pennington

Jun 04, 2021

Here is what Canada is doing to educate and support.

TORONTO -- After the remains of 215 children were found on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., grief rippled through Indigenous communities across the country amid renewed calls for further investigations and government action.

Canadians can help residential school survivors by donating to Indigenous-led organizations and learn more about the legacy of the school system that saw the deaths of thousands of Indigenous children. Here are some ways to do that:

EDUCATION

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

Long before the horrifying discovery in Kamloops, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called upon the Canadian government to provide funding to locate the children who died in residential schools. This call to action was published in 2015.

Native Land

A good place to start educating yourself is finding out more about the land we now call Canada. There is an app that non-Indigenous Canadians can use to see whose territorial land they are on. They can use the interactive map to look up territories, languages and treaties. Find out more about where you live here.

Indigenous Canada

The University of Alberta offers a free online 12-module course on Indigenous history and contemporary issues. The University says thousands of people enrolled when Canadian actor Dan Levy participated in 2020. The popular course, launched in 2017, is available online. Students can register here.

WHERE TO DONATE

Many Indigenous organizations that help residential school survivors could benefit from more donations. If you have the means to donate, here are a few to consider:

Indian Residential School Survivors Society

The Indian Residential School Survivors Society is a British Columbia-based organization that has been providing services to residential school survivors for over 20 years. It started out by helping residential school survivors navigate the court systems and has since expanded to help descendents of residential school survivors and engaging in community education for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. You can donate here.

A helpline for residential school survivors can be reached at: 1-866-925-4419.

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation provides educational resources for Canadians to learn more about residential schools across the country. Donate here.

Legacy of Hope Foundation

The Legacy of Hope Foundation works to educate people on residential schools and the Sixties Scoop and the intergenerational impact that these traumatic events had on Indigenous people. You can find ways to donate here.

Orange Shirt Society

Orange Shirt Society is a B.C.-based group that aims to educate people on intergenerational impacts of residential schools. It offers resources for teachers for Orange Shirt Day, held every year on Sept. 30. Donate here.

Reconciliation Canada

Reconciliation Canada works to educate people about Indigenous life and history to teach non-Indigenous people about reconciliation and strengthening relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. You can donate here.

First Nations Child and Family Caring Society

First Nations Child and Family Caring Society aims to provide quality education to First Nations youth and families. It aims to promote the rights of First Nations children and families. You can donate here.

Canadian Roots Exchange

The Canadian Roots Exchange is a youth-led organization that aims to empower young Canadians to stand in solidarity with Indigenous people. Donate here. https://canadianroots.ca/monetary-donations/

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is an Ottawa-based organization aiming to improve the health and well-being of Inuit. Donate here.

Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund works to provide education on the history of Indigenous people and the legacy of residential schools. Donate here.

Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society

The Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society works with residential school survivors and provides outreach and cultural support. They also provide a toll free line that Indigenous people in crisis or needing support can call at 1-888-403-3123. Donate here.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/how-to-support-survivors-of-residential-schools-1.5453277

Jonathan McCormick

Jun 07, 2021

Replying to

We can not allow this travesty to slip back into ignorance.

jmcerik

Jun 08, 2021

Replying to

@Jonathan McCormick Thank you for this beautiful photo of the lowered flag.

100% of the royalties are donated to women’s support groups. Thank you for supporting an end to violence against women & children.

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