Memorial dedicated to residential school students in North Vancouver damaged

A memorial dedicated to residential school students in North Vancouver has been damaged.

The arm of a carving has been ripped off and glass jars have been broken and strewn around.

The memorial, located at the corner of Forbes Avenue and Sixth Street, is dedicated to survivors and victims of the former St. Paul’s Residential School.

The North Vancouver School District also uses it as a learning tool for students.

One of the artists behind the work has posted on social media that this discovery is “especially upsetting” in light of this week’s announcement in Williams Lake.

2:35 Reflecting on trauma of Williams Lake residential school survivors

It was announced an initial sweep of the former grounds of St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School in Williams Lake, uncovered 93 possible burial sites.

Williams Lake First Nation Kúkpi7 Willie Sellars and councillors released the first-phase geophysical findings Tuesday, after launching its land survey with ground-penetrating radar in June.

“This journey has led our investigation team into the darkest recesses of human behaviour,” said Sellars. “Our team has recorded not only stories involving the murder and disappearance of children and infants, they have listened to countless stories of systematic torture, starvation, rape and sexual assault of children at St. Joseph’s Mission.”

4:24 ’93 is our number.’ Williams Lake First Nation finds possible burial sites

The St. Paul’s Indian Residential School operated from 1899 to 1959 and closed on Sept. 1, 1959, according to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

“The Government of Canada was responsible for funding the school, which was managed and operated by the Roman Catholic Religious Teaching Order, the Sisters of Child Jesus. In 1916, an agreement between the Department of Indian Affairs and Most Rev. Timothy Casey, Archbishop of Vancouver, regarding the Squamish Boarding School,” the centre states on its website.