Remains of 215 children — some as young as three — have been found at a former residential school in Kamloops. Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc (KEM’-loops the sha-WHEP’-em) First Nation says the remains were confirmed last weekend with the help of a ground-penetrating radar specialist. She says it’s believed the deaths are undocumented, although a local museum archivist is working with the Royal British Columbia Museum to see if any records of the deaths can be found. Casimir says band officials are informing community members and surrounding communities that had children who attended the school. The school operated between 1890 and 1969. The federal government took over the operation from the church to operate as a day school until it closed in 1978. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued its final report on residential schools more than five years ago. The nearly 4,000-page account details the harsh mistreatment inflicted on Indigenous children at the institutions, where at least 3,200 children died amid abuse and neglect.
Bernard Grempel a surrey resident has been missing for two weeks. His sister is worried the RCMP are not treating the case urgently enough, and that her brother’s mental health struggles may be the reason why. Ettie Shurack, who is a mother of four with a fifth child on the way, has taken on the role of communicating with police on behalf of the family. she said “I’m extremely worried that my brother is lost, scared, injured, or in danger. I implore the RCMP to use all of their resources to bring my brother home safely” Grempel, who is 28, was last seen on May 14. Community-led searches have been underway since, and a $10,000 reward has been raised for anyone who has information that leads to Grempel being found. Shurack was given more information about when and where her “one and only brother” was last seen on May 25 when police confirmed Grempel last used his Compass card on May 14 when he boarded the 340 bus leaving 22nd Street SkyTrain station for Scottsdale Exchange. She says this is the route Grempel would take to visit his parents’ home. Shurack says search and rescue crews will be out looking for her brother over the weekend, something she also wishes would have happened sooner.
Up to 50 people can now attend indoor faith services in B-C, as long as the facility has a detailed COVID safety plan. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the updated guidance has been posted about how services and gatherings can be started safely. While funerals and baptisms that are part of a regular religious service are included, Henry says weddings are not. Those attending an indoor faith service need to stay two metres apart from others unless they’re from the same household, must wear masks and they need to pre register with their contact information.
Liberal MP William Amos has once again been caught unawares on webcam. Amos says in a statement posted to Twitter that while he was taking part in a virtual session of the House of Commons the previous day, he “urinated without realizing (he) was on camera.” He says this was “accidental” and could not be viewed by the public, but was nonetheless “completely unacceptable” and that he apologizes without reservation. The Quebec MP says he is temporarily stepping away from his role as parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne and from his committee work so that he can get help. Last month, Amos made headlines around the world after he appeared naked on an internal parliamentary feed of virtual question period. Amos has said he was changing his clothes after a jog and did not realize his laptop camera was turned on and Bloc Québécois MP Sebastien Lemire later apologized for taking a screenshot of the moment.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will send 25-million dollars to Palestinian civilians affected by the recent conflict with Israel. In a news release, Trudeau says the funding will go directly to experienced organizations which will help the most vulnerable Palestinian civilians. Last week, Canada welcomed a ceasefire ending the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas that left hundreds of people dead.
Fraser Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at a Surrey long-term care facility. In an information bulletin, the health authority says one resident and one staff member have tested positive at Brookside Lodge. They are both currently in self-isolation. The facility is owned and operated by Sienna Seniors Living.
The provincial government has announced an additional 10-million dollars in funding for a program that provides community-based support services for sexual assault survivors. The increase will help the Ending Violence Association of B-C to expand its work across the province. B-C gave 10-million dollars to E-V-A last year to help it launch a grant program that provided funding to 23 organizations to deliver trauma-informed and culturally appropriate response services. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says sexual assault and gender-based violence have devastating impacts on survivors and the need for services and programs to help them is vast.
The B-C government says it is making permanent a pilot program aimed at helping the tech industry recruit top international talent. The pilot, introduced in 2017 and extended three times, allows foreign workers in 29 of the highest-demand tech occupations to be prioritized for permanent residency. The province says the Tech Pilot gives B-C a competitive advantage over other Canadian jurisdictions and use has continued to steadily increase despite the impact of COVID-19. It says one-thousand-855 tech workers were nominated for permanent residency in B-C last year — a 23 per cent increase over 2019.
COVID-19 continues to spread in clusters in parts of B-C — even as the province begins to reopen in a four-step plan. Three-hundred-17 new infections were recorded today. Health officials say it is important to get vaccinated while maintaining social distance and using masks to stay safe during this period of transition. The latest updated vaccine numbers show that more than 63 per cent of those eligible have had their first dose.
Getting from here to there on the Lower Mainland will be a lot more complicated tonight and tomorrow night, if your trip involves the George Massey Tunnel on Highway 99 between Richmond and Delta. The tunnel will be closed completely tonight and Saturday night — between 10 p-m and 4 a-m. The closure will allow testing of the tunnel’s fire suppression system and overhead lane control signals. There’s a detour via Highway 91 and the Alex Fraser Bridge, but that will add time and distance to trips between Delta or the Tsawwassen ferry terminal and Richmond, Vancouver or the North Shore.
Canada’s top doctor shared her optimistic outlook today — saying the country’s efforts have put the pandemic’s third wave in the rearview mirror. Doctor Theresa Tam said if we can stay the course over the next few weeks, we are in store for a much better summer. Tam says average case counts are now less than half of what they were during the peak of the third wave in mid-April, with under 34-hundred cases being reported daily over the past seven days.