Toronto honours 215 children found buried at B.C. residential school with vigil, memorial

Members of Toronto'sIndigenous communitiesand residents helda candlelight vigil at Nathan Phillips Square on Sunday evening to honourof the 215 children whose remains were discovered on the grounds of a residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

Some placedpairs of children's shoes in the centre of thesquare to represent the children's lives that were lost, while others lit candles, sang, danced and beat drums.

Brianna Olson Pitawanakwat, whose grandmother and mother bothattended residential schools, says thetragedy isa window into thehorrors that Indigenous people in Canadaendured in the residential school system.

"I think it's a big wake up call for folks. Our communities know these stories, we know the history, we know about missing children, we know that children never came home," Olson Pitawanakwatsaid. "A huge history history [is] still being unearthed."

The discovery of the remains was made public Thursday at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Tk'emlps te Secwpemc First Nation territory.The First Nation said the remains were confirmed with the help of ground-penetrating radar.

Olson Pitawanakwatsaysthe purpose of the vigil was to gather and heal with members of her community."We have a connection, these are our relatives."

'It's just heartbreaking'

Meanwhile, amakeshift memorial has been set up outside of Queen's Park, with pairs of shoes, flowers and posters lined up on display.

Kelly Jackson, anOjibway woman, says she cameto honour the victims and their families. "It's just heartbreaking that all these kids were taken away from their families," she said, fighting back tears.

"It's a lot of grief, I'm just happy that I have my kids."

Meanwhile, flagsat Toronto's cityhall were lowered at half-mast on Sunday to commemorate the tragedy,followingthe lead at all federal buildings in Canada, including the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.

Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a statement on Twitter on Sunday that the flags will remain lowered for nine days, or 215 hours, to represent each child whose life was lost.

Other Ontario cities, namely Mississauga and Brampton, also lowered their flags.The Toronto Raptors tweeted it would be doing the same outside their OVO Athletic Centre.

The move came one day after the Chief of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations (MCFN)penned an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking him to lower the flags of Canada and declare a national day of mourning for First Nations children.

On Sunday night, the Toronto sign was dimmed in further recognition of the loss of life and the need for truth and reconciliation.

Tory said he has talked to Chief Stacey Laforme of the MCFN andhas extended his condolences to Laformeand, through him, to all First Nations people in Canada.

Six Nations saysdiscovery is 'unspeakable loss'

In a statement on Friday, the Six Nations of Grand River Elected Council expressed its condolences to the families of the children and to the Tk'emlps te Secwpemc community for this "unspeakable loss."

"Our heavy hearts are with all the families impacted, the Tk'emlps te Secwpemc community, and all survivors who may be triggered as they try to comprehend this devastation," Elected Chief Mark B. Hill said in the statement.

"We hope that this confirmation allows for a path to healing and closure for the families and home communities of the children. We are sending our thoughts and good medicine to Tk'emlps te Secwpemc."

From the 19th century until the last school closed in 1996, more than 150,000 First Nations children were required to attend state-funded Christian schools as part of a program to assimilate them into Canadian society. They were forced to convert to Christianity and not allowed to speak Indigenouslanguages.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliationestimates about4,100 childrendied at the schools, based on death records, but has said the true total is likely much higher. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) saidlarge numbers of Indigenous children who were forcibly sent to residential schools never returned home.

The federalgovernment apologized in Parliament in 2008 and admitted that physical and sexual abuse in the schools was rampant. Many students recall being beaten for speaking Indigenouslanguages; they also lost touch with their parents and customs.

A report more than five years ago by the TRC said at least 3,200 children had died amid abuse and neglect, and it said it had reports of at least 51 deaths at the Kamloops school alone between 1915 and 1963.

Support available

Support is available for anyone affected by the lingering effects of residential schools, and those who may be triggered by the latest reports. TheIndian Residential School Survivors Society(IRSSS) can be contacted toll-freeat1-800-721-0066.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for formerstudents and those affected. Individuals can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.