Fort Pelly Residential School and St. Philip’s Residential School

Feb. 15, 2022: Toronto Star – The discovery of 54 potential graves of children forced to attend two residential schools on Keeseekoose First Nation land was announced to a silent gathering of community members and media… Meanwhile, Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations said the Catholic Church, and others who ran the school, must turn the records over to help identify any possible remains.Ground-penetrating radar was used to locate the graves at Fort Pelly Residential School, which was open from 1905 to 1913, and St. Philip’s Residential School, open from 1927 to 1969. The institutions were located on the First Nation’s land near Kamsack. Both schools were run by the Catholic Church.

According to project leader and former chief Ted Quewezance, the radar hit 42 potential graves at the Fort Pelly site and 12 at St. Philip’s.Headstones without names once stood there, Quewezance said. Why the headstones were removed is a question the community wants answered. 

He said there may be more graves not yet detected because snow forced the search to be halted.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation says St. Philip’s Residential School had a widespread problem with sexual and physical abuse, which led to the dismissal of a school supervisor over the mistreatment of students.

The centre has a record of two student deaths at that school and two at Fort Pelly.