Initial Statement on the Findings at Port Alberni Residential Institution

This information may be traumatic for residential school survivors, families, and communities. If you are feeling pain or distress, please call the free 24-hour crisis line: 1-866-925-4419. You can also call the First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line at 1-855-242-3310. It’s toll-free and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
 

Truths have been shared by the Tseshaht Nation today. The United Church of Canada, which ran the Port Alberni residential institution from 1925 to 1969, acknowledges and is saddened by what we have heard. 

This is the time for Canada to hear from the Tseshaht Nation and other communities that have been impacted by the Port Alberni residential institution. The United Church will make a statement and be available to media on Wednesday, February 22.

Also on Wednesday, the church’s Indigenous Ministries and Justice Circle (IMJ) will be holding healing spaces with registered social worker Lisa Osawamick from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. These spaces are for survivors of residential institutions, their families, and communities. They are Indigenous-only events.

In upcoming days, we will be holding space for members of the non-Indigenous church for reflection on the ongoing legacy of the United Church’s role in colonization and the operation of residential institutions.

Please watch social media for communications related to these spaces.  

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