Williams Lake First Nation reclaims residential school site

Editor’s Note: This article contains disturbing stories of experiences at residential schools. The Indian Residential School Survivors Society operates a 24-hour crisis line to support survivors and families across British Columbia and beyond. The Lamathut Crisis Line can be reached by calling 1 (800) 721-0066.

A First Nation in British Columbia is reclaiming private property in its territory on which a residential school operated until 1981.

The Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN), one of 17 Secwepemc Nations, has purchased, with the help of the provincial government, the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School.

The school was first opened in 1891 and was run by the Roman Catholic Church under the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Sisters of the Instruction of the Child Jesus.

The WLFN has investigated the lands around the residential school since 2021 and has previously released its preliminary findings of 159 reflections, suggesting the presence of burial sites.

Indigenous children from more than 40 communities were forcibly removed and taken to St. Joseph’s, including children from Tŝilhqot’in, Secwépemc, Dakelh, and Stl’atl’imx First Nations.

In a statement Tuesday, Kukpi7 Willie Sellars says it has been a goal of the Nation’s current and previous councils to see the property “preserved and protected.”

“WLFN can now ensure the integrity of the investigation on this portion of the site, and we can start to think longer term about how to honour and acknowledge the children that disappeared from St. Joseph’s Mission and the generations of children that were torn from their families and forced to attend there.”

“We’re grateful for the Province’s support and look forward to continued collaboration with the Province, Canada, and other impacted First Nation communities,” Sellars said.

The purchase of the site by WLFN will allow for a more thorough investigation into the sight, and the province says it is offering its full support for the investigation.

“[The province] is committed to a collaborative, inclusive, community-led and survivor-driven process to locate and protect any unmarked and undocumented burials associated with St. Joseph’s Mission,” the province said Tuesday.

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The province notes that the return of the sacred lands of St. Joseph’s is an “important step to commemorate the history and legacy of the residential school system in British Columbia.”

“Residential school survivors and their families have told us that the sites of former schools are of great significance and must be protected,” said Rankin.

“The return of these lands will support the process of truth-telling, healing and remembrance as it will ensure future generations know the true history of this site and its impact on the generations of children who were forced to come here.”

In the 1980s and ’90s, there were three high-profile criminal convictions for physical and sexual assault that took place at St. Joseph’s Mission.