The City of Calgary has erected an art exhibition at Prince's Island Park perpetuating a false claim that the remains of hundreds of indigenous children were found at residential schools. The false claims that bodies were found has been perpetuated by the federal government as recently as last month. It was initially reported in May, 2021, ground-penetrating radar had uncovered “soil disturbances” in the ground, which led to claims the findings exposed mass graves with the remains of 215 indigenous children. Yet after investigations and a $7.9 million federal grant, no bodies were ever found. First Nation in Kamloops later revised its claims and said it believed there were “200 potential burial sites,” but did not disclose its research. The City of Calgary in partnership with the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth has installed a Remembering our Children Trail on the downtown Calgary island, which they say is “dedicated to the children found buried at indian residential schools across Canada.”“When they buried the children, they didn’t know they were lovingly embraced by the land,” the sign states, quoting Abigail Echo-Hawk. The sign has a website listed, which takes the visitor to a description of the seven different “art installations” that takes about 30 minutes to walk. “Each art installation focuses on starting a conversation about Indian Residential Schools and the ongoing impacts. The artwork was created by indigenous youth living in the City of Calgary,” the sign states. There are several other public parks in Calgary with similar exhibitions across the city, including one for “two-spirit people,” described as “a term used by Indigenous communities for those that identify as 2SLGBTQIA+.”\The Western Standard asked the city why an exhibition with false claims was put up in a public place, how much it cost, and if the city will remove it. The city did not reply after multiple attempts over 48 hours. Canada since the false claims alleged bodies have been found on residential school has been known globally for its “genocide” and killing babies and children.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the time lowered the Canadian flag on Parliament Hill for five months. Flags, which were lowered across the country, weren’t raised again until just before Remembrance Day in November. During that period, dozens of churches were burned as the prime minister, MPs and local officials lamented the claims as factual genocide.
