The Comox Valley Regional District issued a statement today to pay its respects to the memory of 215 innocent children whose remains were discovered at a former Kamloops residential school. The CVRD will be working with its staff in the coming days to acknowledge this national tragedy openly and honestly and with the best intentions of moving forward together to heal. The shameful legacy of residential schools is an ongoing trauma for families in our community, our province and across the country. These difficult conversations must continue so that we all understand the atrocities that were inflicted at Canada’s residential schools.
“Our thoughts are with residential school survivors and the families of those innocent children,” explains CVRD Board Chair Jesse Ketler. “As a parent, whenever I would hear of missing children my heart breaks for the families because I couldn't imagine something worse than having your child taken and not knowing what happened to them, always wondering if they were ok and if they knew how much they were loved. That pain was inflicted on those 215 families and on so many more families across the country. This week we mourn for all those Indigenous children and acknowledge the pain that still remains in everyone’s hearts.”
“Thank you to K'ómoks First Nation for working in partnership and teaching our community with honesty, openness and compassion. Our thoughts and prayers are with your community,” states Ketler. “As a community and as a nation we must honour the lives of these innocent children and never forget their stories.”
The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities providing sustainable services for residents and visitors to the area. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.
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Media Contact:
Jesse Ketler, CVRD Board Chair
250-898-9085