Vancouver Canucks to shine arena orange to honour residential school victims

The Vancouver Canucks will be illuminating Rogers Arena orange Monday night in a public show of solidarity after the remains of 215 children were found at the site of a former residential school in BC.

In a statement, the Vancouver Canucks said going forward Rogers Arena would be lit up orange in a tribute to the children, as well as “every other child who was forced to attend residential schools, and their families.”

“We acknowledge the genocide of the Indigenous community and as Canadians must do more toward real truth and reconciliation.”

The team is the first in the NHL to make a public statement about the deaths.

Rogers Arena joins a growing chorus of landmark buildings in the city that will glow orange tonight. BC Place, Canada Place and the Blodel Conservatory are all doing the same.

Public school teachers across BC are also planning to don orange this week in memory of the lives lost.

The discovery of hundreds of human remains of children in Kamloops, BC, has led to swift calls for action from politicians and community groups.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling for every residential school in the country to be examined for mass graves — and says the federal government should pick up the tab.

Singh said the federal government needs to fully fund the investigation and work with Indigenous communities to look into former schools across the country.

“The sad reality is, this isn’t the last site,” Singh said at a press conference on May 31.

“Indigenous communities deserve to have the justice of making sure that every site like this is uncovered.”

• See also:
  • Remains of 215 children found buried at former residential school in BC
  • NDP leader calls for all Canadian residential schools to be examined for mass graves
  • Trudeau orders Peace Tower flag lowered to honour children found buried at residential school

#Canucks statement: pic.twitter.com/j5NTvbt16P

— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) May 31, 2021