'Find it in your heart to forgive': Star Blanket members, survivors begin long road of healing following residential school announcement
'Find it in your heart to forgive': Star Blanket members, survivors begin long road of healing following residential school announcement
For the community members of Star Blanket Cree Nation, validation has been met – but the healing journey continues.
This comes after the announcement of findings at the site of the former Qu’Appelle Indian Residential School, following over a year of ground penetrating radar searches.
Tears were shed as ground search leader Sheldon Poitras broke the news of over 2,000 “hits” within the searched lands – as well as the discovery of remains.
The jawbone fragment of a child aged four to six was discovered during the search. The remains date back to 1898, according to an investigation from the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.
The discovery leads to a key aspect of Star Blanket’s work so far on the residential school site: validation for its members, and the survivors of the institution.
“People didn't believe what we went through as survivors. I think it’s a good thing that people know now — know the truth,” Sharon Strongarm, a community knowledge keeper, told CTV News.
The validation of the stories from so many survivors is the next step, according to Poitras.
“We had a lot of people come forward (with stories) … they had an outlet, (saying), ‘I’ve been trying to tell my story for years, and no one would believe me,’” he explained.
“It’s like a weight gets lifted off their shoulders. To have a discovery announcement like (Thursday), it validates what they’ve been saying all along. It validates their feelings and their emotions about it.”
For survivors, stories of abuse have been shared throughout their experiences at the residential school. Alex Keewatin said she went to the school for just one year in the 1980s, and alleged sexual abuse during that time.
“I know I wasn’t the only person who endured that … it was pretty tough,” she said.
“The feeling (Thursday) was a bit of sadness. I’m hoping that we’re going to move forward.”
Moving forward isn’t an easy task. Members of the Star Blanket Cree Nation live just across the highway from the residential school site, any time they look out the front window, the hurt remains.
“They see it every day. It’s there, everyday,” Poitras said.
“It’s really tough to do, when it’s here, and they know the stories, and they understand what has happened here. Maybe, some of them have had personal experience. Others have stories of loved ones experiences.”
For some in the community, forgiveness is not a sentiment that’s easily found.
According to Strongarm, it’s absolutely critical in moving forward.
“People used to say, a long time ago, ‘you find it in your heart to forgive, and when you start forgiving, you start healing,’” she said.
“But for some of us, it’s very hard, very hard to do.”
For Chief Michael Starr, his idea of full validation has not yet been met.
Star Blanket’s next announcement concerning the search, pegged for spring or summer of 2023, will be the time that it’s found.
“In my mind, full validation will come when there’s full accountability,” he said.
The Saskatchewna First Nation expects to release a more detailed update after the snow melts. Once the weather improves, the community will begin to identify the over 2,000 anomalies through excavation and DNA testing.
Chief Starr added that help will be needed from all levels of government to continue on the path to healing.
Starr hopes to have a seat at the table to discuss what is needed for the community.
He hopes that healthier options, such as wellness centres, and supports are given to pave the path for the next generation within Star Blanket Cree Nation.
Eight people were seriously injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning, according to first responders. The driver of the bus has been arrested, according to Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says that if he becomes prime minister he would uphold the 10-year deals Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is looking to ink with provinces and territories that would inject $46.2 billion in new funding into Canada's strained health-care systems.
With the hope of finding survivors fading, stretched rescue teams in Turkiye and Syria searched Wednesday for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by a catastrophic earthquake. The confirmed death toll from the world's deadliest quake in more than a decade passed 11,000.
An 'awkward' attempt at a handshake between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the prime minister Tuesday is another example of leaders from the western province hesitating before shaking Justin Trudeau's hand, say political experts.
An associate of Ontario’s self-described “crypto king” was operating his own fraud scam parallel to the multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, court documents allege.
Justin Trudeau has thrown in the towel in the fight to maintain the federal role as gatekeeper of a public, universal, accessible and fair health-care system in Canada, writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca. 'That could have tragic consequences for folks on the lower rungs of the social and economic ladder.'
Many Canadians are experiencing strains caused by the increased cost of living and inflation. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the top credits and deductions that you may be able to claim on your income tax return to help you save money.
Robyn Silvernagle will be making her third appearance at the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts next week in Kamloops, BC, just weeks after her team was put together.
Team Lawes vice Selena Njegovan will be able to serve in a support role at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts after all despite initially being told she'd have limited access on site while on pregnancy leave.
The Calgary Police Service asked residents of a northwest neighbourhood to shelter in their homes as officers responded to a situation Wednesday morning involving a firearm.
The 2022 Status of Emergency Preparedness in Calgary report highlights civil disobedience as a potential future disaster in the city and says the risk is considered high.
An 'awkward' attempt at a handshake between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the prime minister Tuesday is another example of leaders from the western province hesitating before shaking Justin Trudeau's hand, say political experts.
An 'awkward' attempt at a handshake between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the prime minister Tuesday is another example of leaders from the western province hesitating before shaking Justin Trudeau's hand, say political experts.
A Toronto father was working Saturday afternoon when he got a notification from an app connected to his home security system. And what he saw on his phone was every parent's worst nightmare.
An associate of Ontario’s self-described “crypto king” was operating his own fraud scam parallel to the multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, court documents allege.
Eight people were seriously injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning, according to first responders. The driver of the bus has been arrested, according to Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel.
A range of pressures on British Columbia forests are reverberating this spring through Houston and other rural and northern communities, where sawmill, pellet and pulp closuresare affecting hundreds of workers.
A walk past a cemetery can conjure many emotions – sadness, fear and finality. But rarely does it conjure the idea of actually seeing a deceased loved one again. On British Columbia's Gabriola Island, however, coastal erosion is unearthing more than just memories.
Eight people were seriously injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning, according to first responders. The driver of the bus has been arrested, according to Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel.
Police are investigating after a bar in Montreal North appears to have been the scene of an arson early Wednesday morning. There were no reported injuries, but the flames seriously damaged the building and forced residents upstairs to evacuate temporarily.
The number of organ donors in Quebec has increase threefold in the past five years, according to Transplant Quebec, which also reported a “steep” rise in donations coming from patients opting for medical assistance in dying (MAID). Canada’s MAID process allows patients with certain irremediable conditions to end their own life with the help of a physician or nurse. Since the law was passed in 2016, over 30,000 people have sought the process as of 2022, when the last federal report was published.
A walk past a cemetery can conjure many emotions – sadness, fear and finality. But rarely does it conjure the idea of actually seeing a deceased loved one again. On British Columbia's Gabriola Island, however, coastal erosion is unearthing more than just memories.
A Victoria man says a series of devastating earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria have left him feeling nearly paralyzed, as the death toll from the quakes rises above 6,200 people.
A range of pressures on British Columbia forests are reverberating this spring through Houston and other rural and northern communities, where sawmill, pellet and pulp closuresare affecting hundreds of workers.
Retirement is bittersweet for a Nova Scotia doctor who says she feels like she has abandoned the 2,000 patients she has been caring for because she was not able to find a doctor to replace her.
Thousands are dead and tens of thousands injured following the earthquake that has devastated Syria and Turkey. Maritimers with connections to the region are doing what they can to help during this time of need.
With more than 58,000 people requiring help, the Canadian Red Cross says its relief efforts after post-tropical storm Fiona last September were its largest ever in the country.
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.
Eight people were seriously injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning, according to first responders. The driver of the bus has been arrested, according to Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel.
City of Brantford councillor Richard Carpenter asked representatives from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) if they could tell he was excited while wearing a hockey jersey in council chambers Tuesday night.
