Waterloo Region has announced it will pause Grand River Transit buses and ION trains on Friday in remembrance of the 215 Indigenous children whose remains were recently discovered at a residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
It says the buses and trains will stop for two minutes and 15 seconds at 2:15 p.m. on Friday.
“Pausing GRT service for two minutes and 15 seconds to remember the young lives lost is one way for our community to grieve together,” says Regional Chair Karen Redman.
“I encourage all who are able to pause at the same time for a moment of silence to honour those lost as well as their families, and reflect on the impact that residential schools continue to have on our communities today.”
The region says many of its staff will also pause at the same time “to reflect on this tragedy and as a show of respect for the young lives that were lost.”
It notes that buses and trains will only pause if it is safe to do so.
Last week, the chief of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc announced it had found the remains of the 215 children, which were buried on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
The children, some as young as three, were students at the school, which was once the largest in Canada’s residential school system
The remains were located using ground-penetrating radar.
Chief Rosanne Casimir called the discovery “unthinkable,” but said the presence of the remains was “a knowing” in the Tk’emlúps community.
The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419) is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience.
–With files from Global News