FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Territory of the Nine Allied Tribes of Lax Kw’alaams
June 19, 2025
Lax Kw’alaams to Raise Monument Honouring Survivors of Miller Bay TB Hospital
The Lax Kw’alaams Band invites the public to take part in a day of remembrance, healing, and community as the Miller Bay Monument is carried and raised on Friday, June 20, 2025.
The day begins at 8:00 AM in Metlakatla, where the carved monument will start its journey. It will arrive by water at Rushbrook Dock in Prince Rupert at 10:35 AM, then travel by land to its final resting place at the entrance to the former Miller Bay TB Hospital site along Highway 16.
“This project is an important symbol for not only Lax Kw’alaams members but all who were impacted by Miller Bay TB Hospital,” said Lax Kw’alaams Mayor Garry Reece. “We hope that all who were affected find peace through this memorial.”
“The Miller Bay Monument was carved with utmost respect to honour those who went to Miller Bay Hospital,” said Michael Epp, a Ganhada of the Gitlaan tribe and the monument’s carver commissioned by Lax Kw’alaams. “The monument is made of red cedar. The figures represent healing for the survivors, strength, endurance and the responsibility and continuity of cultural life. It also stands in memoriam to the individuals who passed on in the hospital. Atop the monument, a warrior stands holding a copper and a spear, protecting all the tribes and their territories, lands and waters for all time”
Following the raising of the monument, community members and guests are invited to gather at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre to share a meal, traditional songs, and dances. All are welcome.
About Miller Bay TB Hospital
The Miller Bay TB Hospital, located near Prince Rupert, operated from 1946 – 1971. Originally a military hospital, it was later used by the federal government to isolate and treat Indigenous patients with tuberculosis—many of them children forcibly removed from their communities. Patients were often separated from family for years at a time. The hospital is part of a wider legacy of colonial health practices that caused intergenerational trauma and loss. The monument project is part of ongoing efforts to confront this history and support community healing through truth and reconciliation.
For more information, please contact:
Lax Kw’alaams Band Truth and Reconciliation Department
Phone: 250-624-5000 ext. 2002
Email: [email protected]
Media Contact
Heather Haughian
Manager of Communications and Public Relations
Lax Kw’alaams Band
[email protected]
About Lax Kw’alaams Band
The Lax Kw’alaams Band is a First Nations government located on the North Coast of British Columbia, with a membership of over 4,100 people.
by