Williams Lake First Nation Purchases Residential School Site

Williams Lake First Nation has purchased, with funding from the Province of British Columbia, the private property on which the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School operated between 1891 and 1981.

“Residential school survivors and their families have told us that the sites of former schools are of great significance and must be protected,” said Murray Rankin, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

“The return of these lands will support the process of truth telling, healing and remembrance as it will ensure future generations know the true history of this site and its impact on the generations of children who were forced to come here.”

The province says the purchase of the property ensures that the site of the former St. Joseph’s Mission will be recognized as a place of historical, cultural, and spiritual importance to those communities whose children were taken to this institution throughout its operation.

This purchase also provides the immediate protection of the property from any future development while ensuring that former students, their families and their communities can visit the site for cultural, spiritual, personal or other commemorative purposes.

Since 2021, Williams Lake First Nation has taken a leading role to investigate the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous children who were taken to St. Joseph’s Mission throughout its history.

The purchase allows for a more thorough search of the property and will ensure that all relevant information pertaining to the investigation is collected and preserved.

The ownership now ensures that the site is permanently protected for historical and investigative purposes.

The province says the purchase of the property ensures that the site of the former St. Joseph’s Mission will be recognized as a place of historical, cultural, and spiritual importance to those communities whose children were taken to this institution throughout its operation.

This purchase also provides the immediate protection of the property from any future development while ensuring that former students, their families, and their communities can visit the site for cultural, spiritual, personal or other commemorative purposes.

Since 2021, Williams Lake First Nation has taken a leading role to investigate the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous children who were taken to St. Joseph’s Mission throughout its history.

The purchase allows for a more thorough search of the property and will ensure that all relevant information pertaining to the investigation is collected and preserved. 

To see the full release, visit Government of British Columbia.