The British Columbia First Nation that announced the discovery of 215 potential unmarked graves at a former residential school in 2021, catapulting the issue into public discourse, says there may never be consensus on what to do with the site.

A statement from the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation says possible future outcomes for the Kamloops Indian Residential School property include excavation or preserving its orchard as a sacred site, “a place of memory and healing.”

The nation says its investigation is ongoing, with the findings so far pointing to several areas of focus, with “signatures that resemble burials” identified in some, and other areas ruled out as burial sites.

Tuesday’s statement says more than 500 children from 38 Indigenous nations living in 119 B.C. communities attended the institution at its peak, and the nation must seek consensus on how ancestral remains should be treated.

Still, it says “we also understand that full consensus may never be achieved.”

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The nation says any remains would need to be repatriated in their home communities, calling it an “extremely complex and sensitive process” involving consultation with those nations, DNA analysis and forensic expertise.

Whether to dig at the site has been a fraught question, with no agreement among survivors of the institution. Some have said they see exhumation as a process to help lay victims to rest, while others don’t want the site disturbed.

In 2022, a year after the initial announcement of the discovery of suspected unmarked graves, Tk’emlups Chief Rosanne Casimir described the nation’s approach as an ongoing process of “exhumation to memorialization.”

The probe has included the use of ground-penetrating radar, LIDAR scanning and specially trained dogs, along with the examination of records from the Catholic Church and the B.C. and federal governments, said the statement this week.

“While the investigation has been more complex than we initially thought, we are making progress and will continue adapting our methodologies and information as it advances,” it said.

A report by the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 detailed harsh mistreatment at residential institutions across Canada, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children, and at least 4,100 deaths.

The report cited records of at least 51 children dying at the Kamloops school between 1914 and 1963. Health officials in 1918 believed children at the school were not being adequately fed, leading to malnutrition, the report noted.

The Kamloops institution operated between 1890 and 1969, when Ottawa took control from the Catholic Church and ran it as a day school until it closed in 1978.

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A proposed uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan has the support of several Indigenous communities as it enters the final stage of seeking federal approval.

Canadian mining company NexGen Energy Ltd. presented its Rook I development project and heard from several key Indigenous stakeholders in Saskatoon on Monday, the first day of the second part of its hearing before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).

The proposed mine is located in the southwestern Athabasca Basin, around 150 km north of La Loche, Sask.

NexGen has identified four Indigenous nations in and around the proposed mine area that have signed impact benefit agreements with the company and offered their support for the project. These nations are the Clearwater River Dene Nation, a regional division of Métis Nation Saskatchewan, Birch Narrows Dene Nation and Buffalo River Dene Nation.

Dene Nation elder Jimmy Montgrand was in attendance at the hearings on Monday and says the mining projects are more than just extracting materials from the ground, but for “the future generation of Indigenous kids in that region.”

Montgrand supports the project, adding that ongoing collaboration between the company and the local Indigenous nations is crucial to success, especially given that the proposed mining site is home to historical sites.

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“We’re trying to maintain, according to the elders, what is beneficial for both the Indigenous groups of that region, as well as the corporations that are working with in that area,” said Montgrand.

Components of the mine include underground and surface facilities, along with an onsite mill that is expected to process an average of 1,400 tonnes of ore per day.

The project, which has been in the works for over a decade, is also expected to generate 1,400 local jobs, according to Leigh Curyer, NexGen’s chief executive officer.

“We share with the communities financially as well, and the agreements that we have show that the communities and the company are totally aligned with respect to the sharing of those financial benefits,” said Curyer.

Marlene Hansen, secretary for Métis Nation Saskatchewan, was a part of the consultation process for the past four years and praised the company for meeting the needs of the community.

“We talked about how they’re going to come back and make sure that everything is done and that we could go on the land, and it’s going to be protected. So we know it before it starts, and that’s a good thing,” said Hansen.

“Everybody’s just really excited to get it moving and looking forward to all of the jobs and all of the excitement to come with this project.”

Following the conclusion of the proceedings, the CNSC will consider community, safety and environmental impacts before deciding to grant the project a licence, which could take up to four months. A licence from the CNSC is required before the project can begin.

The proceedings before the CNSC are expected to continue in Saskatoon until its conclusion on Thursday.

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