Penticton Indian Band planning eternal flame memorial for residential school victims

The Penticton Indian Band is making plans to create an everlasting memorial to the victims of the country’s residential school system.

The move comes following last week’s discovery of 215 children buried at the former Kamloops residential school.

Band communications officer Dawn Russell said today, June 3, the idea was brought forward by a residential school survivor at a band meeting earlier this week.

The band is accepting monetary donations in a fundraising effort to install an eternal light-flame at the Residential School Survivors Memorial on the Penticton Indian Band.

“We are currently looking into design, costs and what we need to support this initiative. As it is in its’ infancy, we don’t have the finer details mapped out,” Russell said.

The Penticton Indian Band is home to two memorials, Russell says. One is the Nation Memorial on the lower reserve, where the community gathered earlier this week. The other is located at the band’s Sn’xastwilxtn Health Centre and is band specific.

Russell said band discussions about the viability of locating the flame at the Nation site are currently underway.

The band issued a press release yesterday in appreciation of support from “regional and corporate neighbours in honour of the residential school survivors who did not return."

Anyone interested in donating to the flame should contact the PIB chief financial officer at cfo@pib.ca

READ MORE: Residential schools

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