182 human remains found in unmarked graves at site of former British Columbia residential school

The Lower Kootenay Band in British Columbia says the search was conducted using ground-penetrating radar, with the community of aqam beginning the search last year near the site of the former St. Eugene’s Mission School near Cranbrook.

According to CP24, the school ran from 1912 to the 1970s, and was operated by the Catholic Church.

The remains were found in graves varying from 90 centimetres to 1.2 metres deep.

The news release from the Lower Kootenay states that the remains are those of people are believed to be from the bands of the Ktunaxa nation, which includes the Lower Kootenay Band, aqam and other neighbouring First Nation communities.

The Lower Kootenay is asking for the public to respect its privacy at this time, as it's in the early states of receiving information from the reports of the findings.

In addition to the graves found at the St. Eugene’s Mission School and the Marieval Residential School, 215 unmarked graves were discovered at the site of the former Kamloops Indian residential School at the end of May.

On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau demanded that the Pope travels to Canada to apologize for church’s role in the country’s residential schools.

"I have spoken personally directly with His Holiness Pope Francis to press upon him how important it is not just that he makes an apology but that he makes an apology to Indigenous Canadians on Canadian soil," Trudeau said Friday in Ottawa. The Catholic Church has also recently agreed to release all remaining records related to residential schools after the latest discovery.