Brantford residents pays tribute to 215 Indigenous children at event

KITCHENER -- Residents of Brantford paid tribute to the 215 Indigenous children found in B.C. by placing 215 pairs of moccasins at the steps of a former residential school in the city.

The event took place outside the former Mohawk Institute Residential School on Sunday. The school was operated under the government of Canada from 1885 until 1970.

Organizers held a moment of silence beginning at 2:15 p.m. for the 215 children found buried at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

“Yesterday there was a lot of grief, and I know a lot of people, probably all of our people, felt that collective grief, and it just hurt,” said organizer Charlene Hemlock. “Part of this too was our call for accountability and justice for our missing and murdered children.”

Organizers also carried the moccasins with them on a march as a way of symbolically returning the children home.

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  215 moccasins were laid at the steps of a former residential school in Brantford in tribute to the 215 Indigenous children found in a mass grave in B.C. (Terry Kelly/CTV Kitchener) (May 30, 2021)