The federal Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations waived reporting requirements tied to more than $12 million provided to the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation for work related to the reported discovery of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, according to records released through an Access to Information investigation.Blacklock's Reporter says documents disclosed by the Information Commissioner show the department relaxed its requirement for quarterly Activity Progress Reports despite providing $12.1 million in funding for activities including the exhumation of remains, DNA testing and coroner analyses.The funding followed the First Nation's 2021 announcement that ground-penetrating radar had identified 215 potential unmarked graves in an orchard at the former residential school.According to the Information Commissioner, officials were unable to account for what appeared to be missing progress reports.“Officials were asked about what appears to be missing reports,” the commissioner wrote. “Quarterly reports for the periods identified were not consistently generated.”The department initially indicated it possessed 576 pages of Activity Progress Reports before later revising that figure to just 23 pages. Records released to date do not explain why no exhumations were undertaken.When questioned about the discrepancy, officials said the hundreds of missing pages were considered “not relevant.”Federal officials attributed the lack of reporting to a combination of COVID-19 disruptions, the 2021 British Columbia wildfires, staffing turnover and broader federal administrative flexibilities implemented during the pandemic.“Government-wide, COVID-19 flexibilities were in effect during this period, permitting reduced reporting frequency and contributing to the absence of quarterly documentation,” departmental officials told the Information Commissioner. “The department exercised administrative flexibility.”The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation confirmed on Feb. 18 that no attempt had been made to exhume any remains..In a statement, Chief Rosanne Casimir said possible future options include preserving the orchard “as a sacred site, a place of memory and healing,” or proceeding with excavation.Appearing before the Senate Committee on indigenous Peoples on March 25, Casimir said any effort to exhume possible graves would require additional time and funding.“Holocaust investigations have continued for more than 75 years,” she told senators. “Truth takes time.”She added that determining what happened to children who attended the school “cannot be completed in a few years or through short-term funding cycles.”When asked by Sen. Scott Tannas how many of the reported 215 individuals had been identified, Casimir replied, “That is out of my realm right at this time.”Pressed on how families could ultimately learn the truth, Casimir said the process would likely extend well beyond one, three or even five years.“I definitely see it as a longer process that is going to take some time,” she said.
