Brandon woman turns streets into a memorial for 215 lost children
A Brandon woman has turned some city streets into a memorial for the 215 children whose remains were found at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
Jordan Wilson, who is the granddaughter of a residential school survivor, said when she learned of the news of the unmarked graves, she knew she had to do something.
“I wanted to take an opportunity to voice for them and voice for those who don’t have a voice anymore,” she said.
Wilson said she builds for a living, so she felt that building 215 crosses was the best way she could commemorate the children.
In the end, with the help of dozens of other people, she set up the crosses at Victoria Avenue and 18th Street in Brandon.
“Two hundred and fifteen written down may seem like a small number when it’s written down with so many others, but when you put it in perspective, it’s completely astonishing,” she said.
“It took over all of Victoria Avenue in Brandon, a huge portion of 18th Street.”
Wilson noted that she was blown away by the number of people who helped with the memorial.
“I figured there would be a few people and a few would set them in place, but today it turned out to be a life-changing moment to walk with others and share that experience and honour those we lost, those we cherish, and those that survived,” she said.
CONTINUING THE SEARCH
Wilson said she believes other residential school sites need to be searched as well.
“We need to bring our children home,” she said.
Wilson added that it is sad to think how many graves will be found as more sites are searched.
“It’s so sad. I know the numbers are going to rise if they start searching other residential schools and they find more,” she said. “There could be tens of thousands of children being found.”
She said that once these searches begin, she will be taking on another project to honour the children.
“I want something set in stone, preferably concrete, but that’s still a work in progress,” she said.
TIES TO RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS
Wilson said her grandmother attended the residential school in Brandon.
“She went through some hardships,” she said, noting that her grandmother always said there were others who had it worse.
Wilson said both of her parents attended day school and said the same thing.
“They always made sure there was always a positive outlook for me and my sisters to look back on,” she said.
“But now that I’m starting to look back and hear more stories and hearing other things, it’s hard to see a positive side.”
- With files from CTV’s Mason DePatie.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.