ALERT BAY— The upcoming demolition of St. Michael’s Indian Residential School is expected to cause some road closures in Alert Bay this March.
As a part of this process, many tons of brick will be taken off the island by a barge expected to be located on Fir St. near the old hospital site.
The removal is expected to close the road for 17 days.
Concern about damage to the roads by the heavy equipment was raised by council members.
In addition to protective measures taken by the as-yet-unnamed contractor, the Village is expecting $20,000 in compensation since some damage is inevitable.
The entire tear down is expected to be completed by March 31.
The initial phase of the tear down will involve the removal of the building’s asbestos.
St. Michael’s Indian Residential School was built in 1929 and, until its closure in 1975, housed thousands of children causing inestimable harm to many generations of first nations people.
Although there were arguments in favour of keeping the building standing, many found its ongoing presence was a too-bitter reminder of an ugly chapter in Canadian history.