The Fort William First Nation’s Chief has had no response to the call to investigate known and suspected burial sites within Traditional Territory.
Chief Peter Collins made the call on June 18 to look into the former St. Josephs Indian Residential School, Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital and the former Fort William First Nation reserve site on Kam River.
Collins says he’s received support from Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro.
“We’re glad that the city is on board,” said Collins. “Municipalities and first nations need to work together so we can heal and recover from these traumatic stories that we continue to see and hear about everyday.”
The latest discovery was revealed Friday, June 24, involving 751 unmarked graves at the former Marieval school in Saskatchewan, which operated between 1899 and 1997.
Collins had a stern message to both Queen’s Park and Ottawa.
“Get to work, start exploring these sites,” stressed Collins. “We’re not asking, we’re demanding that these sites be explored so that if there is something on these sites, they can be repatriated back to their community.”
A National Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former residential school students. The toll-free line can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-866-925-4419.
