Halifax city hall and municipal facilities will lower their flags to mourn the 215 children found on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
Mayor Mike Savage announced the move on Twitter on Sunday.
On Monday, flags will be at half-mast on municipal properties to honour the 215 children found buried in Kamloops and to recognize all those who lost their lives in the residential school system.
— hfxgov (@hfxgov) May 30, 2021
The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation revealed the discovery of the remains in a news release on Thursday, saying they were found after working with a “ground penetrating radar specialist”.
The children were students at the school which was once the largest in Canada’s residential school system.
It’s believed the deaths are undocumented. However, efforts to determine if any records can be found are underway.
The Nova Scotia government followed suit when Premier Iain Rankin moved later in the day to lower flags at the Nova Scotia Legislature and all provincial buildings from May 31 to June 8.
“It’s a horrific reminder of the damaging legacy of residential schools all across the country, including our province,” said Rankin. “My heart goes out to everyone thinking about and grieving the children lost, and to all the survivors of residential schools. We mourn with you.”
— Adsum for Women & Children (@adsumforwomen) May 29, 2021
Meantime, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has asked that the Peace Tower flag and flags on all federal buildings be flown at half-mast.
Trudeau says it is to honour the lives that were taken at the former residential school and all Indigenous children who never made it home, the survivors, and their families.
“The news that remains were found at the former Kamloops residential school breaks my heart,” Trudeau wrote in a tweet.
The Kamloops school operated between 1890 and 1969. The federal government took over the operation from the Catholic Church to operate as a day school until it closed in 1978.
Further analysis on the remains is underway.
The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line provides 24/7 support to former residential school students and those affected. The Crisis Line can be reached by calling 1-866-925-4419.
