Search begins for unmarked graves at former Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., residential school
After lots of talk this summer, the search for unmarked graves is underway at the former Shingwauk Residential School site, at present-day Algoma University.
The work is being led by the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association, in collaboration with partners who've banded together to form a new committee for the project.
Following the discovery of 215 graves in Kamloops, B.C., the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association said it immediately wanted to do the same.
"We more or less had a talking circle and right away, they said we need to do the same thing here," said Jay Jones, site search coordinator with Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association
Jones is the former president of the association and now leads the committee formed to discover the graves at the site. He said this initiative was the right thing to do.
"To say I'm honoured is an understatement -- it's something that I'm compelled to do," he said.
Chief Dean Sayers of the Batchewana First Nation said he's excited to finally see scanning get underway. Sayers said it's an important action that will help educate future generations.
"Everybody having this knowledge across the country, can work together to prevent this sort of thing from happening again, in the future," he said.
The Métis Nation of Ontario holds two seats on the committee to discover the unmarked graves. A regional councillor for the group said some of its own members were survivors of the school -- and it's doing what it can to help.
"We're bringing the views and the resources of the Métis government to support the survivors and the work that we think they should be leading," said Mitch Case, Métis Nation of Ontario Regional Councillor.
The first round of radar has wrapped up, but crews are set to return in a few weeks.
The Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association said it should have results in about two to three months.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.