Residential school survivors share their stories at Regina healing gathering
Regina’s mayor joined Indigenous leaders on Tuesday at the Regina Indian Industrial School cemetery for a healing gathering following the discovery of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
The event included a pipe ceremony, a feast and school survivors shared their stories in hopes of helping others heal.
“That forgiveness to me is very important, ‘cause I’m a survivor. I learned to forgive the people who have done me wrong,” said Audrey Eyahpaise, a residential school survivor.
Ray McCallum, another survivor, said he is aware of 181 children who died at the St. Anthony and Beauval Indian Residential Schools in Saskatchewan.
“Normal children lost in ordinary routines of daydreaming until the darkness came and set upon us a dark cloud of fear, shame, anger and uncertainty. Of diminished ambition and a world without colour. For many, that colour would never come as they lie endured, many forgotten, until now,” said McCallum.
Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme said Cowessess is conducting its own radar search of the former Marieval Indian Residential School area in hopes of identifying the bodies currently in unmarked graves.
“[We’re] just looking at them is a little different now after what we found out last week,” said Chief Cadmus Delorme of the Cowessess First Nation.
Delorme said since the discovery in B.C., he has received numerous calls from residents that are angry and need to talk.
“It opened up the wounds, the hurt, the anger in many First Nations people that attended residential school,” said Delorme said.
Chief Roberta Soo-Oyewaste of the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation said finding the graves of children who died at residential schools will bring closure to communities.
“Closure to a wound. Those angels, they wanted to be found. They wanted to be put back with their family and their nations,” said Soo-Oyewaste.
Regina’s mayor Sandra Masters said she quickly became aware of how the B.C. discovery would impact other residential school survivors. She said the city is willing to help in any way it can.
“If this is a call to arms across the country from the province, from the federal government and they are willing to participate in this, then there has to be the technology…we should find every single unmarked grave and honour it,” said Masters.
Delorme said even if a body can not be identified, at least a plaque can be placed to honour and remember the lives lost at residential schools.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.