Residential school survivors gather at Williams Lake site

Survivors of a residential school in Williams Lake, B.C. will gather together this week for a month-long reconciliation project.

St. Joseph's residential school was torn down 26 years ago, but it left a painful legacy for survivors and their families.

Over the next month, there will be several events where survivors will share their stories. There will also be a reunion for the former residential school students.

Esketemc First Nation Chief Fred Robbins attended St. Joseph's, and is one of the organizers of the project.

"I think that's a huge part of the healing, is just getting back together, and feeling that we were in this together," Robbins said.

"That's what I think this reunion is all about — bringing back the friendships that were made and releasing a lot of the anger and frustration that happened at the residential school."

The project will also include two monuments: One dedicated to the survivors, and the other to the children who died at St. Joseph's.

The monuments will be located at the site of the torn-down school and at a park in Williams Lake.