Records sought on human remains

In February 2017, a pavilion project was announced in Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. The excavation that summer soon uncovered human remains.

It was first reported that there was 11 grave sites.

In fact it is 12 plus. There was a plan to put the remains in a mausoleum.

I began to ask questions thinking it would bring out some answers.

On June 4 of this year, I made a request to the City of Prince George for information about the 12 bodies.

By June 9, all 12 had bean reinterned. Citizen reporter Christine Hinzmann wrote an article in The Citizen about the lack of information coming from the city and the quick decision to rebury.

On June 28, a city employee phoned me to ask if I would consider withdrawing my info request. She said that I could get better and more complete information from the B.C. government. She provided a computer link. I agreed.

I requested four items of information.

Did the province have death records for the period 1900 -1915 for the Fort George area? What was the race of each of the 12? Approximately what year were they buried? Who ordered the reburial of the 12?

All requests were denied and I was told that ended my inquiry unless I wanted to appeal the decision. On Aug. 1, I reapplied to the city to provide the information on who ordered the reburial of the remains. Why was it decided to put nine remains in one grave and three in another?

There is a need for the city to be open, honest and transparent on this issue.

Allan Lund Prince George Editor’s note: During the same time frame at Mr. Lund, The Citizen also submitted requests for more information about the human remains uncovered in the park. We were also denied answers, with the government citing section 16 (disclosure harmful to intergovernmental relations or negotiations) and section 18 (disclosure harmful to the conservation of heritage sites, etc.) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). The Citizen filed a formal appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner on July 17, arguing neither section is relevant. In a letter to The Citizen dated Aug. 9, the commissioner requested a full copy of the records from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development for review.