Flags are being lowered across the City of Timmins to honour the hundreds of children who were discovered in an umarked grave at a British Columbia residential school last week.
At Timmins city hall, the flag was lowered at 10:30 a.m. today. It will remain that way for nine days, or 215 hours.
In social media posts, Northern College, Timmins Police and District School Board Ontario North East have said the flags at their respective buildings are also being lowered.
“It is difficult to find the words to express the collective pain we are feeling,” said Mayor George Pirie in a news release.
“It is truly unspeakable. As we know, St. Anne’s Residential School in Fort Albany was open as recently as 1976 and there are still those in our community who went there and carry the scars. This is a powerful reminder to us all that compassion for our Indigenous neighbours and the inter-generational struggles they continue to endure, are our joint responsibility to remedy. It’s time to embrace our past and build a better tomorrow by marginalizing those who continue efforts to widen the divide. The City of Timmins extends its sympathies to the survivors, families and our Indigenous community affected by this tragedy.”
The Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation revealed Thursday that the remains of 215 children had been discovered buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, which operated between 1890 and 1969.
Today, people across the country are also wearing orange, which is associated with the annual initiative to honour the stories of residential school survivors and their families, and remember those who died.
At Hollinger Park in Timmins, a memorial has started with people placing shoes inside the clock tower. People are also being asked to put out teddy bears tonight.
A national residential school crisis line has been established to provide support to former students and their families. The 24-hour crisis line can be accessed at 1-866-925-4419.
