The lede says it.

No human remains have been found from excavations at a Canadian Indian residential school two years after allegations were made that more than 200 Indigenous children were buried at the site. In the aftermath of the claims, Canada experienced a rash of burning and vandalizing of dozens of Catholic churches.

This has occurred two years after

the British Columbia First Nation Band Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc announced that a radar survey had found “confirmation of the remains of 215 children” near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

As a result of that false claim, a dozen Catholic churches were razed through arson, and dozens more were vandalized. The Canadian government paid $320 million CAD ($234,320,672 USD) to Indigenous communities and an additional $40 billion CAD to those who were allegedly abused at the schools.

Minegoziibe Anishinabe Chief Derek Nepinak insists that these excavations’ results take nothing away from the difficult truths experienced by our families who attended the residential school in Pine Creek.

That’s as may be, but the smear of mass graves of 215 children is separate from that. Maybe it’s time to reclaim those $360 million CAD that were paid out on false accusations and to begin holding to account those responsible for the smear.