The number of bodies found in residential schools in Canada is significant, but it varies by location and ongoing investigations. Key details include:
- An Ontario coroner's investigation revealed 220 additional deaths linked to residential schools in the province, adding to the 436 previously documented by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), making a total of 656 known deaths in Ontario alone.
- In British Columbia, investigations at the site of former residential schools have identified at least 28 children who died at St. Joseph's Mission, with 66 more potential burial sites found through ground-penetrating radar, totaling about 159 possible gravesites on that property.
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada had documented over 4,000 deaths across the country related to residential schools, with many deaths undocumented or records incomplete regarding identity, cause, or location.
- Notable discoveries include 215 suspected unmarked graves in Kamloops, British Columbia, and 751 unmarked graves at a residential school in Saskatchewan reported by indigenous communities.
- Overall estimates suggest that thousands of children died or went missing due to the residential school system, which forcibly removed Indigenous children for over a century.
These findings confirm a large tragic loss of life, often undocumented and unrecognized, highlighting the scale of historical abuse and neglect at residential schools in Canada. The investigations and recoveries are ongoing, and the numbers may still increase as more sites are examined.
