Banff Mayor Karen Sorensen issued the following statement today:
To mourn the 215 children whose lives were taken at the former Kamloops residential school we are flying our flags at half-mast. This is a departure from our Flag Protocol, but this is a time to take extra steps to grieve for all Indigenous children who never made it back to their homes and use this tragic reminder to encourage all Canadians to take time to remember. We honour the survivors and their families.
For people in our community who are feeling deep pain due to this news, please call the National Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.
The flags at Town Hall and the Fire Hall were lowered to half-mast for 215 hours, representing one hour for each of the children who were discovered buried in Kamloops.
We encourage people to take time to learn more about Indigenous peoples in this region, and to explore resources such as recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, available at https://banff.ca/1103/Indigenous-Peoples
The full text of the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have been posted in the display window at the Bear Street Parkade, along with the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.