Residential school survivor on Vancouver Island addresses Trudeau's visit, Indigenous delegates in Rome

Prime Minister Trudeau was in Williams Lake, B.C., on Wednesday at the site of a former residential school. It's believed there could be 93 unmarked graves there, and a Campbell River woman thinks they'll find more.

"There's probably hundreds, maybe thousands of kids over the 140 residential schools in Canada," said Bev Sellars, a survivor of St. Joseph's Mission Residential School in Williams Lake, who now lives in Campbell River.

"I'm sure there are remains of kids all over the place."

The Vancouver Island resident is also a distinguished alumnus at the University of Victoria and is the author of the book They Call Me Number One.

The book details her years at the residential school, beginning when she was five years old.

It also explores the lasting effects that the residential school had on her, including a suicide attempt at the age of 17.

"Those grave sites are crime scenes and, you know, there are people still alive who should be prosecuted," said Sellars on Wednesday.

The author says she began talking about residential schools in the early 1990s, and that the response back then was far from welcoming.

"The hate mail I got was unreal from people," said Sellars.

"You know, 'How could we say that about the church? That never happened,'" she said, recalling some of the letters.

The author says society's view about residential schools is changing, but it "needs to change more."

Sellars' cousin is Williams Lake First Nation Chief Willie Sellars, and he greeted Trudeau on Wednesday. At the same time, Indigenous delegates were in Rome meeting with Pope Francis.

The Campbell River woman believes the two events are significant, but just a small step towards proper reconciliation.

"Whether the pope apologizes or not, it won't make a bit of difference to me because you shouldn't have to beg for an apology," said Sellars.

"He knows what's going on, it's not like he doesn't know."