Manitoba RCMP confirm investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at Fort Alexander Residential School
The Manitoba RCMP confirmed on Tuesday that it has been conducting a large-scale investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at Fort Alexander Residential School.
Marvyn Morrisseau remembers the ten years of horror he experienced at the school, starting at age four.
Morrisseau said he and his fellow students were brainwashed and fed like dogs. He said the abuse was rampant.
“It was very abusive," he said. "We were not only physically abused, but sexually abused.”
Mounties began their initial investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at the school in 2010, and launched a criminal investigation in 2011.
During the probative investigation, when officers gathered information to determine what happened and the scope of the incidents, investigators travelled to Ottawa to review archival records of the residential school and anyone involved. Investigators also went to the Manitoba archives for historical information.
Officers went through thousands of documents, including student lists, employee lists, and quarterly returns.
After compiling this data, investigators developed an investigation plan and began to reach out to people whose names had appeared in the documents. They also went door-to-door in the area where the school was located.
Officers ended up speaking with more than 700 people across North America in order to find possible victims or witnesses.
Once canvassing was complete, Mounties launched a criminal investigation and started taking formal statements and interviewed victims and witnesses. Police obtained a total of 75 victim and witness statements.
Officers noted that the size and scope of the investigation involved years of work, including the completion of 680 investigational tasks. More than 80 RCMP officers have been involved in the investigation so far.
Fort Alexander Residential School was built on the Fort Alexander Reserve, which is now Sagkeeng First Nation. It operated between 1905 and 1970.
Last week crews hired by the community began a search of the former site to look for any unmarked graves.
Mounties have also worked with First Nations leadership, including the Grand Chiefs of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Southern Chiefs’ Organization. They also met with the Chief and Council of Sagkeeng First Nation.
The investigation resulted in RCMP sending an investigative court package to prosecution services for review and to provide advice on charges. At this time, no charges have been laid.
Mounties are reminding people that victims, suspects and witnesses have privacy rights.
“Violation of the privacy rights of those involved in this investigation will not only cause further trauma to everyone involved, but also potentially compromise this highly sensitive investigation,” said Chief Derrick Henderson of Sagkeeng First Nation in a news release.
“We ask that the trauma our community has experienced and continues to live every day is respected and that those affected are afforded their privacy at this time.”
It is the only investigation into a residential school that is currently underway by Manitoba RCMP.
Morrisseau hopes there are charges so someone can be held accountable for what he and many other children endured.
“I’d love to see that happen if there is anybody alive."
The RCMP said it will not be providing any further information on this investigation.
--
If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line at 1-800-721-0066.
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.