North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring says the discovery of more than 160 undocumented and unmarked graves on Penelakut Island, once home to a residential school, is heartbreaking and not a surprise, since Indigenous people have long been aware of “the horrific truth and legacy of Canada’s residential schools.”
Unmarked graves have also been found recently at former residential school sites in the territories of the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc First Nation, the Lower Kootenay Band and the Cowessess First Nation.
“The grief, ongoing pain and trauma felt by survivors and families is enormous as these horrific truths of Canada’s past come to light,” Siebring said. “This is a reminder that we must continue to acknowledge our past, better understand the racism and discrimination First Nations face, and to work toward reconciliation.”
Siebring said he knows people who attended the Kuper Island school. “They don’t talk about it that much.”
Penelakut Island was formerly known as Kuper Island and home to a residential facility called the Kuper Island Industrial School. The Islands Trust said the school came to be called “Alcatraz” because of its isolation “and the horrors that occurred there.”
Siebring said the Penelakut Tribe is one of the First Nations his municipality deals with on a regular basis. “We’ve just gone through providing some dock space at our municipal dock for them for medical emergencies,” Siebring said. “We have a relationship with them.”
Cowichan Valley School Board chairwoman Candace Spilsbury said her district has a strong connection to Penelakut Island, since many youth attend classes there in a kindergarten-Grade 7 school before moving to Chemainus Secondary.
“As a district and community we have been grieving the loss of these stolen lives from the first announcement of their discoveries,” she said. “While we have heard, known and believed the testimony from survivors of residential schools, these discoveries are adding a sobering reality to the lived experiences of friends, staff, students and the larger community.
Ladysmith Mayor Aaron Stone issued a statement on Facebook pointing to “a systemic and systematic attempt to remove Indigenous lives, livelihoods and culture from Canada.”
“This is not ancient history but actions that took place within most of our lifetimes,” he wrote. “When we see the impact of these acts on people and entire communities we are looking into the eyes of this horrific legacy and we must be clear-eyed and open-hearted in our response.”
