Several civic buildings in Kamloops will be lit in orange tonight to recognize Indigenous people impacted by residential schools.

City hall will be lit in orange at 9 p.m, along with the TRU Residence building, the interior of the Canada Games Pool, and, on Tk‘emlúps te Secwepemc land, the Arbour and the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

“To recognize that these survivors of the residential school system were here before this incident, and they are going to be here long after,” Kamloops mayor Ken Christian said at council, noting this comes after a horrific preliminary discovery of 215 unmarked graves of children at the former residential school.

“And we need, as a community, to work our way through this. But it’s a difficult time to work our way through this,” Christian adds.

He pointed out because of COVID-19, larger events like a memorial are not able to be held right now to recognize the situation.

“So we are going to continue to do the kinds of small things that we need to do as a community to keep our partners and our fellow residents of this valley, who were here many, many centuries before us, at top of mind.”

Christian says the community feels “absolute heartbreak” on the unmarked graves of children being found outside the former school, which is confirmed by emails and public pleas made by residents expressing sympathy and a desire for change.

“To the leadership of TteS, and to the membership of TteS, you have my heartfelt sympathies and my commitment that council and myself and our staff will continue to work with you, as we seek resolution to this.

“And it won’t be fast, and it won’t be simple. But it will be heartfelt and it will be meaningful, and it will be genuine.”