New documents shed light on Manitoba residential school child deaths
New documents are shedding light on the actual number of children who died at a residential school in northern Manitoba and it is dozens more than originally thought.
The documents, retrieved from the Catholic diocese in The Pas, indicated 84 children had died at the Cross Lake Residential School, a far cry from the 30 children Chief David Monias and the Pimicikamak First Nation had believed.
“The Catholic church wanted to help out in trying to find out the truth about what happened with the children at the residential school so we were asked to go and retrieve the documents,” said Monias. “It was pretty shocking to hear but at the same time not surprised, considering many of the First Nations were finding unmarked graves in their communities near the residential schools.”
That number doesn’t include any possible unmarked graves near the school, which is something the community is planning to investigate.
The release of the documents has led to more questions than answers, according to Monias. He said many of the children were simply listed with a first name or as infant, little girl, or little boy. Only about a quarter of the children had full names.
“But they were all from Cross Lake, that’s the only thing that we know. We are hoping we can find more information about them,” Monias said.
To help deal with the revelations, the community has been gathering to share information and tell stories so what happened in the past is not forgotten.
“Like any other survivor we are pretty much devastated and we’re traumatized,” said Monias.
The new documents do not provide clues as to the locations of possible unmarked graves, which is why the community is planning on conducting ground penetrating radar searches.
Monias said there are many oral histories of community family members who left to go to residential schools. Those stories led to questions of what the future was like for them and then, he said, you find out that they died.
“We’re ready to try and move on and try to find out more information and actually have more due diligence, research,” said Monias. “We have a team that is working. We have an individual that is investigating more information for us and hopefully we get answers.”
Closure is an important part of the process, with Monias saying it is part of the journey to better health and wellness.
“People can have peace knowing where their loved ones are buried and they can visit them or their children can visit them.”
With files from CTV's Maralee Caruso
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.