Vancouver Island First Nation paints bridge orange in honour of residential school students
Ahead of the second National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Friday, a Vancouver Island First Nation is working to make a local bridge with a dark past more welcoming.
It's known as the "Orange Bridge" to many of the locals in the Port Alberni, B.C., area.
"There's a lot of survivors who won't come to Port Alberni and who won't cross this bridge because it reminds them of this school," said Ken Watts, Elected Chief Councillor of the Tseshaht First Nation.
Heading west along Highway 4, the 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.
"Many kids crossed the bridge. They were considered runaways," said Wally Samuel, an Alberni Indian Residential School survivor.
Another survivor, Donna Samuel, says most people had no idea what the bridge meant to survivors.
But that will hopefully start to change. On Tuesday, survivors – with help from the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Main Road Contracting – painted the four corners of the bridge orange to honour all of the children who attended the school.
The "Orange Bridge" is pictured in Port Alberni, B.C. (CTV News)
"It's a part of our healing journey," said Wally.
"I'm glad to be doing this today as a reminder," added Donna.
Chief Watts says the bridge is intended to stand as a symbol for current and future generations.
"We need to remind people when they pass this bridge about what happened here, and also the resilience of our people and how we have survived," he said.
But the job won't be complete without involving the next generation. Educators have to teach what the orange paint symbolizes, and the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is an important part of that.
"It's a day for people who went to residential [schools] and survived, and people who did not," said Riley Stewart, a student at Haahuupayak Elementary School.
"And a lot of the elders are still alive and used to go there and they lost their culture," added student Heexal Dennis Marshel.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.