The Town of Cochrane has lowered flags to half-staff in recognition of the 215 children whose lives were taken at the former Kamloops residential school.

Cochrane flags will remain at half-mast for 215 hours, just shy of nine days.

"Lowering our flags is a symbol of mourning the loss of so many lives while honouring the survivors and their families," says Mayor Jeff Genung. "However, we know that symbol is only one small step. We need to take action and educate ourselves on the untold history of our country, and the story of the Indigenous peoples of this area and across Canada."

The disturbing discovery of the remains of 215 children who were students of the Kamloops Indian Residential School was announced by the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation on May 27. With the help of a ground-penetrating radar specialist, the stark truth of the preliminary findings was brought to light.

“We had a knowing in our community that we were able to verify. To our knowledge, these missing children are undocumented deaths,” stated Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir in a news release. “Some were as young as three years old. We sought out a way to confirm that knowing out of deepest respect and love for those lost children and their families, understanding that Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc is the final resting place of these children.”

Community members who are deeply impacted by this news can receive emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour National Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. 

For others who would like to learn more about Indigenous peoples in this region, and to explore resources such as recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, visit here.