Memorials are springing up across the country in mourning of the 215 Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation children bodies that were buried and discovered, May 27, on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
In response to the tragic discoveries, calls on social media have been made for Canadians to honour the lives of innocent children.
Tonight, at 6:00 p.m., Kitimat residents as well as all Canadians are asked to leave teddy bears out with their porch lights on in remembrance of the innocent lives lost.
The residential school was operated by the Catholic Church from 1890 to 1969 and had as many as 500 children enrolled at one time. The feds then took over the facility and ran it as a day school until it closed down in 1978.
A petition calling for a National Day of Mourning for Children found buried at a former B.C. residential school has topped 27,600 signatures as of Monday morning, May 31.
“Survivors of residential schools and their families carry the burden of this tragedy and it is due time that Canada as a whole also share this burden. These deaths impact every person in this land and so it’s important that we all come together to mourn,” the petition reads.
“To mourn together is to heal together. Let us all come together to remember all those impacted by the horrors of the genocide committed on these young souls, and let’s do so in the spirit of true reconciliation.”
READ MORE: Petition calls for day of mourning for children found buried at former B.C. residential school
-With files from Katya Slepian