Schools of this kind were established in Canada by the Indian Civilization Act of 1819 and existed through the 1960s to culturally assimilate Indigenous children by relocating them from their families and communities and forcibly suppressing their native identities, languages and beliefs.
One of the local tribes found a potential burial place at the site of the boarding school 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) away from the city of Williams Lake. The school operated from 1886-1981 under the control of the Catholic Church and later was managed by the federal government, the news broadcaster reported.
More than 150,000 children studied in such schools in Canada. At least 3,200 pupils died as a result of ill-treatment and absence of care in these boarding schools. In May 2021, the remains of 215 children aged three and over were found in British Columbia at the site of a former Indigenous boarding school. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the practice of establishment of such institutions and called it a "tragedy."