Children’s shoes still fill steps of Vancouver Art Gallery in residential school tribute

A moving memorial of more than 200 pairs of tiny shoes still fills the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery a year after it was first installed.

Those behind the tribute purchased and placed 215 pairs of children’s shoes on the steps facing Robson Square following the discovery of unmarked graves at what was once the country’s largest residential school.

The installation was put together by local artist Tamara Bell and volunteers.

It’s been guarded by a group since that time.

As for how long the shoe memorial will remain, the City of Vancouver told CTV News it would have an answer next week.

Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the announcement of the results of an initial search by ground-penetrating radar.

The local First Nation said the search of the grounds of Kamloops Indian Residential School confirmed what it already knew: the bodies of hundreds of children are buried at the site, children who were taken from their families and never made it home.

Those behind the research say what was discovered in the 7,000-square-metre search area were about 200 anomalies that could be graves. The only way to know for sure what is buried under what used to be an orchard would be exhumation.

Still, the initial discoveries correspond with stories from survivors who describe being asked to dig graves in the area when they were as young as six years old.

For now, efforts are focused on expanding the initial search area. There are still 650,000 square metres left.

If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line at 1-800-721-0066.

Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.