Atrocities, 93 potential unmarked graves revealed in BC residential school investigation

Warning: The following story contains disturbing details of abuse that took place at a residential school.

VANCOUVER — An Investigation into the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School in British Columbia’s interior has found evidence of atrocities committed against indigenous children during the school’s decades-long operation, according to preliminary results released Tuesday.

The investigation used ground-penetrating radar and found a potential 93 unmarked graves in an area near a historic cemetery near the school grounds. Fifty of the potential burials are not associated with the cemetery.

At a news conference near Williams Lake, about 240 miles south of Prince George, BC, Williams Lake First Nation chief Willie Sellars said the investigation included stories of torture, rape, forced detention and exposure to extreme conditions, including abuse, exposed.

“The investigation showed that excessive use of physical abuse was rampant at the school,” Sellars said, “as were dire living conditions, including the consumption of rotten food, fire hazards, overcrowding and disease.”

He said excavation was the only way to confirm whether the “reflections” found by radar equipment were human. The investigation has so far investigated 14 of 470 hectares around the site of the former residential school.

Sellars said religious officials, the federal government and RCMP have misled the public about what is happening at the school. He accused authorities of being involved in the destruction of documents to disguise what happened.

He said during the school’s operation, under the supervision of numerous religious sects, but mainly the Catholic Church, children talked to the authorities about the conditions at the school. No steps were taken, the principal said.

The Williams Lake First Nation is currently investigating archives, but said some key documents are missing.

Sellars said the investigation was challenging for indigenous people in the area while remembering and telling stories of abuse.

“I want to give recognition to all the survivors and those who acted and conducted an interview,” he said. “The power of those individuals is breathtaking, to say the least.”

The history of Canada’s residential schools was brought to the fore last May when ground-finding equipment found 200 probable unmarked graves on the site of what was once Kamloops Indian Residential School.

The Tk’emlúps in Secwépemc nation has announced the preliminary findings after its own use of ground-penetrating radar. The school was run by the Catholic Church.

Weeks later, hundreds more unmarked graves were found in a community cemetery on the grounds of the formal Marieval Indian Residential School on Cowessess First Nation in southeastern Saskatchewan.

The St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School was located about 20 miles from Williams Lake. The investigation began nine months ago.

“It’s important that these investigations remain in the public eye,” Sellars said.

If you or someone you know needs someone to talk to, you can contact the Indian Residential School Survivors Society for counseling support available at 1-800-721-0066.

With files from The Canadian Press