One of the last witnesses at Human Rights Tribunal shares his reflections about the proceedings

Immaculata Catholic Church sits beside a paved-over patch of land where the Immaculata Day School used to be before it burned down in 1986. (Burns Lake, BC) Photo by Pamela Haasen
Pamela Haasen - CICK - SmithersBC | 18-05-2023
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"We trusted the Catholic Church, look at the way they treated us, we trusted the Police system, look at the way they treated us, so there's just no trusting the system."

Ronnie Matthew West was a young boy when he attended Immaculata Day School between 1966 and 1974. He was one of the final witnesses to testify in front of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in person before the rest of the trial will take place online. He was one of 24 Complainant witnesses testifying against the RCMP's handling of a 2012 case against one of the teachers at Immaculata.

Survivors of residential school abuse at the Immaculata day school allege that their complaints were mishandled by the RCMP in their investigation dating back ten years ago. Their grievances were heard at a hearing of the Human Rights Commission from May 1, 2023 to May 12th at the Ts’il Kaz Koh (The Gathering Place) in Burns Lake, BC.

West spoke to CICK regarding what the people who lived through their time at Immaculata need to do — "come together".

West says that he has worked on his healing since his time in Immaculata. In his testimony, he claims to have witnessed teachers at the Day School picking on "weaker" children. West himself claims to have not been abused physically, but testified on Tuesday May 9th that he witnessed abuse.

The Defendants (RCMP) have not given CICK News a statement or comment at this time.  For more coverage of this case, see CICK's report filed on May 15, 2023.

Listen to Ronnie West's full interview in the link below.