FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron. (980 CJME/ file photo)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Funds for search

Province provides $2 million for residential school site research

Jun 18, 2021 | 4:53 PM

Saskatchewan will allocate funding to assist in searches at residential school sites across the province.

On Friday, First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs Minister Don McMorris announced $2 million of provincial funding going to the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) for research into undocumented deaths and burials on formerly federally operated residential school locations. McMorris also called on the federal government to match the investment. This follows earlier statements in May that the province and FISN made in demanding the federal government take immediate action after news broke of the discovery of 215 bodies of Indigenous children.

“In the wake of last month’s discovery at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, it is clear that research and exploration into undocumented deaths and burials must be carried out in Saskatchewan,” McMorris said. “The $2 million announced today by the province of Saskatchewan will help ensure this work can begin, and help bring peace to those who suffered under the residential school system, and peace of mind to those who continue to suffer from its effects. I strongly call upon the federal government to immediately match these funds and help carry out this vitally important work in the province of Saskatchewan.”

Per the media release, the FSIN has already identified the former residential schools of Muskowekwan, Onion Lake St. Anthony’s, Beauval, Guy Hill, Lebret and Sturgeon Landing as possible sites for research., but it is believed that the list of locations First Nations would like to investigate could increase. The funding announced today will be used to support the research into these, and future sites.

Currently, the FSIN is putting together their approach, given many Indigenous communities across the province have already announced their intention to carry out investigations into former school sites in their communities. FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said the province’s investment is necessary and a good start, but much more will need to be done, given the number of residential school sites Saskatchewan wide.

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“This work will take years to complete and proper ceremony and protocol must be followed at every site.,” he said. “Elders, knowledge keepers, survivors, their descendents, and First Nations communities must be a part of this process every step of the way. “

Cameron added that this work is vital for many survivors who have been sharing their stories for years.

“We must come together to help them heal.”

Local focus on healing and support

The Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs will be conducting searches of residential school sites. (submitted/Karen Whitecalf BATC)

Karen Whitecalf, Board Secretary and Adminstration Member of the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs (BATC) and a project lead for their planned residential school searches, said she was pleased with the gesture.

“It’s a sad story, but it’s reality and we have to do deal with it now. I’m very happy the government is giving $2 million for searches,”

However, Whitecalf said there’s much more work to be done and other factors to consider than just the searches themselves. For her, a big priority will be dealing with grief.

“It’s going to be opening up wounds or causing more wounds,” she said. “We have to try and heal our people.”

One of questions moving forward will be around providing resources for counseling and therapy. Whitecalf noted that therapy isn’t cheap for most and many people in that particular field are already over-worked during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the demand of mental health support. However, she said there’s going to have to be resources for people while they’re hurting, as well as making sure people are informed.

“Everyone wants to know what happened, so it’s really important that we keep everyone informed of the processes, what’s going to happen and what we’re going to do if more children are found,” she said.

Whitecalf suggests further partnerships between BATC and the Battlefords municipalities and having a direct line to mental health resources.

“Maybe a health line would help assist people going through traumas from the search going on?” she said. “That’s one of the things to think about.”

Whitecalf said she’s encouraged by the community’s support in the past few weeks and many residents being so sympathetic.

“You see the orange shirts everywhere,” she said. “That brings a bit of lightness to my heart and I’m sure everyone else appreciates it too.”

Per the Government of Saskatchewan: The residential school system operated in Canada for more than a century. The federal government reports that 150,000 Indigenous children were removed and separated from their families and communities to attend these schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimates that approximately 20 federal residential schools operated in Saskatchewan from the 1880s to the 1990s.

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On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW