Orange bridge in Port Alberni targeted with racist vandalism for 3rd time

A bridge in Port Alberni, B.C., has been targeted with racist vandalism.

The bridge, which is painted orange and has the message ‘Every Child Matters’ on it, was defaced in the early morning hours Wednesday, between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.

“I woke up to a bunch of messages saying it happened again and even worse, there’s a bunch of swastikas painted on the bridge,” Wahmeesh (Ken Watts), elected chief councillor of the Tseshaht First Nation, told Global News.

He said it left him and others in the community feeling sick to their stomachs.

“Sick and disgusted and mad and angry, but also thinking about not just our own people and survivors, but I think what really resonated with me is what that swastika and that symbolism represents and the millions of people that lost their lives due to that very same hate, but also the millions of people who fought and gave up their lives for all of us to live in a safer country and a safer world.”

Wahmeesh said that he was buoyed by so many people coming out and helping repair the bridge and repaint it.

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“It’s our job as human beings to create a better world for our kids than we live in now and when things like this happen, I feel like we’re two steps back,” he said. “And, to be honest, I worry about the world my kids are growing up in.”

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The bridge stood as a line of demarcation for many of the children sent to the Alberni Indian Residential School, which operated in various forms from 1892 to 1973.

The bridge, which used to be grey, was painted orange in the fall of 2022 by the Tseshaht First Nation, along with the Ministry of Transportation and Transit.

The colour orange was chosen as it is the same colour used on Orange Shirt Day, which is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The bridge was first defaced in September 2022, then Jan. 14, 2026 and Jan. 21, 2026.

Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions said it is hard to express the level of disappointment that comes with an act like this.

“Once is shocking enough, twice is horrible. I can’t even believe that this is now happening a third time and then in such a short period of time,” she said.

“It’s not just racism. Because of what this bridge and the monument mean, this is about survivors, this is about children, this is about the children who went to this school who have been lost.”

Wahmeesh said it is hard, but he has to be optimistic about the future and this act of hate is done by a small minority of people.

“We need to be inclusive of all religions and all cultures and we need to spread more love and less hate and that’s the message we want to send today,” he added.

“Let’s spread love and not hate.”

Police have not identified any suspects in the vandalism.