Community rallies after 3rd incident of hateful graffiti on Vancouver Island bridge
Swastikas were painted on the Port Alberni, B.C., bridge, which honours residential school survivors
Community members gathered on a foggy afternoon in Port Alberni, B.C., to paint over hateful graffiti after a local bridge that commemorates residential school survivors was vandalized for the third time in four years — and the second time in a week.
The structure, known locally as “the orange bridge,” is on Highway 4, which runs through the small city 140 kilometres northwest of Victoria, B.C., on Vancouver Island.
RCMP say swastikas and a racial slur were painted on the bridge early in the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 21.
They say a racial slur was also painted on the bridge’s “Every Child Matters” sign on Jan. 14.
The bridge was first defaced in 2022, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The bridge leads to c̓išaaʔatḥ (Tseshaht First Nation), where the Alberni Indian Residential School stood from 1900 to 1973. Historical records show at least 67 children died at the school during that time, and preliminary results of a ground scan released in 2023 showed 17 potential unmarked graves.
In 2022, the nation worked with the Ministry of Transportation to paint concrete barriers at the bridge orange, along with the words “Every Child Matters,” to honour the Indigenous children who crossed the bridge on the way to the institution.
Wahmeesh (Ken Watts), elected chief councillor of the Tseshaht First Nation, told CBC’s On the Island this week that he got emotional as soon as he heard about the graffiti and then saw pictures.
“I was definitely angry more than anything, and sad thinking about survivors,” said Watts.
“Not just obviously survivors, from the Alberni Indian Residential School, but all those victims and families of the Holocaust.”
He said he worries about the rise in hate and division that he’s seen in the world, but that he was reassured when he saw everyone who gathered to help — including members of the local Legion, RCMP, and the Ministry of Transportation which provided flaggers to keep people safe as they painted.
“I think it sent a message to, not just Port Alberni and the island, but to B.C. and Canada, that you know, there are good people out there.”
Debbie Haggard, a councillor with the City of Port Alberni, told CBC News she was heartbroken to hear the news of more vandalism.
“I'm shocked that this is still going on in this day and age,” she said.
“We are a small community. We should be standing together and working together.”
She said she and her fellow council members stand with Tseshaht.
Port Alberni RCMP are asking anyone who was driving in the area from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Jan. 14, and between midnight and 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 21, to share any dashcam footage they might have.
Watts said the nation is also installing cameras in the area.
In a statement to CBC News, the Ministry of Transportation confirmed it’s in touch with the nation and "assessing additional measures that could help deter and mitigate future incidents in the area.”
With files from On the Island, Claire Palmer
