'Every Child Matters' sign on Vancouver Island bridge defaced, repainted
Hateful vandalism of the Historically Orange Bridge over the Somass River in Port Alberni lasted just hours before Tseshaht First Nation members and supporters removed it Saturday morning.
Ken Watts, the nation's elected chief councillor, told CTV News he started getting messages from friends and members around 10 p.m. Friday.
Photos of the vandalism showed that the Every Child Matters message that survivors of the Alberni Indian Residential School painted on the concrete barrier in front of the bridge earlier this week had been defaced, with the word "child" modified to a "derogatory, racist name," Watts said.
The Tseshaht First Nation recently finished a ground-penetrating radar search at the former residential school, and on Friday – the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – more than 1,000 people participated in a walk to honour survivors that passed over the bridge.
"On the same night, this happens," Watts said, describing the vandalism as "disgraceful."
"It just shows me that we have a lot of work to do," he added.
At the same time, Watts said the reaction to the defaced sign was immediate and "amazing."
Some Tseshaht members noticed the vandalism while the paint was still wet and were able to remove some of it with soap and water, the chief councillor said.
On Saturday morning, he and others made their way to the bridge to repaint the sign, work they completed before noon.
Watts said the outpouring of support his nation has received since the vandalism has been encouraging.
"It shows there's a lot of people out there that want to help our communities and support us," he said.
Photos of the vandalism showed that the Every Child Matters message that survivors of the Alberni Indian Residential School painted on the concrete barrier in front of the bridge earlier this week had been defaced, with the word "child" modified to a "derogatory, racist name," Watts said. (Port Alberni RCMP)
POLICE INVESTIGATING
Port Alberni RCMP are investigating the vandalism and asking anyone with dash cam video or information about who was responsible for defacing the signs to contact them.
"Senseless acts such as this are unacceptable and troubling to our community, and revert the efforts towards truth and reconciliation," said Const. Richard Johns, in a news release.
"Although this crime was not reported to our detachment officers are actively investigating any available leads."
HONOURING SURVIVORS
Watts said the first thing he thought about when he saw that the barrier had been defaced was how hurtful it could be to residential school survivors in his community.
Heading west along Highway 4, the Historically Orange Bridge crosses the Somass River and enters the Tseshaht First Nation, where the Alberni Indian Residential School once sat just a few hundred metres away.
The bridge is a constant reminder to survivors of what happened there, to the point that some won't cross it because it reminds them of the school, according to Watts.
The recent paint job restored the bridge to the colour it was painted in the 1980s, but it also added the Every Child Matters message and the symbolic meaning the colour orange has come to represent.
In its current incarnation, the bridge is meant to honour all of the children who attended the school, but Watts says the key to maintaining that meaning will be education.
He said reconciliation requires calling out racist incidents like the one that happened Friday night and educating others about what residential schools were and the harm they caused.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
B.C. wildfires likely to spread with weekend temperatures expected to soar, province says
Wildfire and emergency management officials in British Columbia are urging residents to be prepared for increased fire activity as temperatures are expected to soar above 30 C in parts of the province this weekend.
Listowel, Ont. football player drafted, despite only three years of experience
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.