The University of Guelph will be lowering its flags to half-mast Monday to honour the children who lost their lives at the Kamloops Indian Residential School and their families, and the countless others who never returned home from residential schools across Canada. The flags will remain at half-mast for 215 hours symbolizing the lives lost.
Our thoughts are with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and Indigenous communities who are mourning this devastating loss and grappling with the intergenerational effects of residential schools.
As a gesture of respect and as an acknowledgement of the need for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, we encourage our campus community to wear orange on May 31.
Flags across the country have also been lowered or will be lowered in honour of the children, including at all federal buildings and establishments.
The Council of Ontario Universities has also issued a statement.