A joint effort by Canada and Ontario to locate unmarked graves at the former Pelican Falls Residential School.
Lac Seul First Nation is receiving more than $8.7 million in funding to locate burial sites.
The community will be working with 33 affiliated Northern Ontario First Nations to ensure cultural and spiritual protocols are maintained in working with Survivors and leadership.
The funding will help with the location, documentation, mapping, maintenance, commemoration, and memorialization of the gravesites.
The community-led process enables Lac Seul First Nation to undertake this work in their own way and at their own pace.
Chief Clifford Bull says, “I extend my deep gratitude to all the partners: the 33 First Nation Chiefs’ resolution authorizing Lac Seul to lead the initiative; the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority and the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council for their unwavering support administratively to ensure that the initiative was realized and funded. The funding commitment allows us, as First Nations, to search for our missing children and to find the truth through meaningful involvement of the residential school survivors and their families. This means having an ongoing stable mental health, financial and human support system in place that will be critical as we delve into such a dark past.”
Federal Minister of Indigenous Services and Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu says, “The work being undertaken with ‘Bringing our Children Home’ is essential in sharing and finding the truth about the ongoing legacy and impacts of residential schools. This is heavy work, and I applaud Chief Bull and members of Lac Seul First Nation leadership in prioritizing the mental wellness of all those involved every step of the way, fostering a supportive environment for community healing as this process unfolds.”
Minister of Indigenous Affairs for Ontario and Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford says, “Ontario is supporting Lac Seul First Nation as they continue to work on this important community-led initiative-‘Bringing our Children Home.’ This includes funding for mental health supports for Survivors, Elders, and community members. It is necessary for Ontario to deepen its collective understanding of the legacy and intergenerational traumas caused by the Indian Residential school system on the journey towards meaningful reconciliation.”
