Ontario pledges $10M to identify and commemorate burial sites at former residential schools
The Ontario government has unveiled a $10 million action plan to identify and commemorate unmarked burial sites at former residential schools across the province.
Over the next three years, the government says it will work with Indigenous leaders to develop a process for identifying these sites, of which there are believed to be at least 12.
The announcement follows a discovery last month of the remains of 215 children buried in unmarked graves at Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C.
Speaking remotely at the news conference in Kenora Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford called that discovery “heartbreaking.”
“We know the news from Kamloops has deeply impacted survivors and their families and that Indigenous people are hurting, including here in Ontario,” Ford said.
“We’re here to support them. Indigenous leaders and Ontarians are seeking meaningful reconciliation.”
Archaeologists and forensic specialists, including Dr. Dirk Huyer Chief Coroner for Ontario, as well as historians, will lead the research and technical field work related to the identification process
Also included in the funding are mental health supports for survivors of Ontario’s residential school system, their families and Indigenous communities.
Grand Chief Francis Kavanaugh of the Ogichidaa Grand Council Treaty 3 was in attendance for Tuesday’s announcement. He said that although he did not attend a residential school, his siblings did and that it pains him to relive their experiences.
“Survivors told us firsthand of children being buried secretly off school grounds,” Kavanaugh said. “We cannot suffer in silence any longer and it is important that we work through this together.”
Last week, Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford told CTV News Toronto that at least 426 Indigenous children are known to have died at schools in Ontario, while an unknown number are still missing.
Tuesday’s announcement aims to respond to a recommendation included in a report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released in 2015 which called for implementation strategies for the “ongoing identification, documentation, maintenance, commemoration, and protection of residential school cemeteries or other sites at which residential school children were buried.”
“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has done important work to bring the truth to light, but we have more work to do,” Rickford said from Kenora Tuesday.
“We know that this will reopen wounds, some that have never healed, frankly, and bring painful memories to the surface. That’s why it’s critical that any search and recovery efforts are community led by Indigenous people and supported with respect for community protocols and the diversity of cultural practices across Ontario.”
It is believed that roughly 8,000 of Canada’s estimated 80,000 Indian Residential School Survivors lived in Ontario at the time of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, according to data presented by the provincial government. There were 18 Indian Residential Schools in Ontario, the last of which closed in 1991.
According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, over 150,000 Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities and sent to Indian Residential Schools between 1870 and 1996.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada outlines national action plan to fight auto theft
The federal government is launching what it calls its 'national action plan' to combat auto thefts, which will include stronger penalties for thieves, and increased information sharing between police agencies, government officials and border enforcement.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
Iran's president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash at moment of high tensions in Mideast
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country's foreign minister were found dead Monday hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, leaving the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East.
Michael Cohen says he stole from Trump's company as defence presses key hush money trial witness
Former Donald Trump attorney Michael Cohen admitted Monday to jurors in the Republican's hush money trial that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from Trump's company as defence lawyers seized on the star witness' misdeeds to attack his credibility.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Woman, 35, in critical condition after her truck collided with a Via Rail train near Montreal
A 35-year-old woman is in critical condition after the pick-up truck she was driving was struck by a Via Rail passenger train Monday morning in Quebec's Monteregie region.
Canucks' Brock Boeser out for decisive Game 7 vs. Oilers: coach
Canucks star Brock Boeser will miss Game 7 of Vancouver's second-round playoff series Monday against the Edmonton Oilers, according to reports.
Investors watching posts from 'Crypto King' in the wake of fraud, money laundering charges
Former investors of the self-styled “Crypto King” say they are watching his social media accounts and worried his displays of wealth are signs he’s spending their money, even now, as another large expense tied to Aiden Pleterski has triggered a previously unreported lawsuit.