Exploring Theme: "Commitments to Residential Schools"

New fund supporting ongoing burial investigations and mental health supports NationTalk: TORONTO – The Ontario government is continuing to take action to support Indigenous communities in the province by launching the $7.1 million Indian Residential School Community Engagement Fund (IRSCEF). The new fund will enable additional communities and organizations to support Survivors and their families...

NationTalk: Missanabie Cree First Nation, through its company ISN Maskwa, announced a partnership with Narratives Inc. as Survivors and their families continue to seek truth, justice, and healing. By working together, the two organizations can provide highly specialized and strong technical supports to Survivors and communities, who are currently undertaking the important work of searching...

Initiative searching for missing children who attended Pelican Lake Indian Residential School CBC: An initiative aimed at locating missing children who attended Pelican Lake Indian Residential School took a step forward this week, with First Nations and government signing a memorandum of understanding in Thunder Bay, Ont. The Bikiiwewinig Nindawaashishiiminaanak Initiative, or Bringing Our Children...

Mohawk Institute – The search for unmarked graves at the former Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario has begun. The Joint Police Task Force began their work this morning by combing the search grid with the use of ground-penetrating radar technology....

Government of Ontario is funding over $20 million in Indigenous-focused mental health and addictions programs and services to directly support Indian residential school survivors. The funding will ensure culturally appropriate, trauma-informed supports are available to both First Nations and urban Indigenous organizations as critical work is undertaken to investigate and commemorate former Indian residential school...

Mohawk Institute is creating a Survivors’ Secretariat to commence a death/criminal investigation. The Mandate of the Survivors’ Secretariat includes coordinating death investigation processes and protocols, conducting Statement Gathering, document collection and historical research, supporting commemoration initiatives, and liaising with First Nations, provincial, and federal governments. The Survivors’ Secretariat is currently working to put in place...

The Government of Canada is investing over $7.6 million in the “Save the Evidence” project through the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Ontario is providing more than $1.8 million, while the Woodland Cultural Centre is contributing $378,437. The work will allow the Woodland Cultural Centre...

Toronto Star – Ontario government “has committed $10M over the next three years on the ‘identification, investigation, protection and commemoration’ of residential school burial sites across the province…The TRC working group on missing children and unmarked burials identified 12 residential school burial sites ‘with varying degrees of certainty’ before completing their work in 2015. The...

Toronto Star – One of the oldest residential schools opened in 1829 and was operated by the Anglican Church before being taken over by the federal government in 1885. History of escapes from the school are well documented, as are stories of physical and sexual abuse and of malnutrition. The latter complaint earned the school...