Sask. residential school survivor says awareness is growing one year after Kamloops discovery
As more unmarked graves are discovered near the sites of former residential schools, survivors say validation and awareness are two key outcomes from the findings.
One year ago, officials announced the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site in B.C.
The findings kicked off a series of similar discoveries near school grounds across the country, including in Saskatchewan.
Del Crowe attended residential school in Lebret from 1963 to 1968. He said the Kamloops discovery validated his experiences.
“Some children we never saw them again. They just disappeared,” Crowe said. “They wouldn’t tell us what’s going on at the school. We were as much in the dark as anybody.”
Crowe went to residential school from Grade 1 to Grade 5. He compared his time there to what took place in concentration camps during World War II.
He remembers the nuns and priests being mean to the students. However, he said he does not recall details about most of the “horrible stories.”
“There is stuff that you just block out of your memory that you don’t want to remember,” he said.
The pope issued an apology earlier this year, and is now planning a trip to Canada to visit First Nations communities. The itinerary does not include Saskatchewan or B.C.
Crowe was not satisfied with the Pope’s initial apology, calling it a “political move.”
Instead, Crowe said the biggest development that came from the Kamloops discovery is awareness.
“Finally people are becoming aware of this. These are things that I’ve been aware of my whole life. I saw a lot when I was going to my school and I’ve heard many stories from older people and my fellow classmates,” Crowe said.
“We’re hearing more stories so maybe in the future something will happen.”
Lori Campbell, associate vice-president for Indigenous Engagement at the University of Regina, said a broader awareness to what happened at residential schools is necessary to move forward.
“We need to keep it in public memory and keep these conversations going in order to move toward reconciliation,” she said.
“It’s hard to move on and heal and move towards reconciliation until we really understand what happened.”
Campbell said this is just the beginning stage of work that will take years as First Nations continue to search for graves and look to identify the remains.
“This is going to be a very, very long process,” she said.
She encourages people to not become desensitized to the discoveries of unmarked graves.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca