Statue honouring residential school founder removed from Sask. cemetery
The statue of a Roman Catholic priest who founded one of the first residential schools has been removed from the Saskatchewan cemetery where it stood.
The statue of Father Hugonard, who founded the Lebret Indian Industrial Residential School in 1884, was built in 1926 and stood near the entrance of the school until the late 1990s, when it was moved to the Sacred Heath Catholic cemetery.
A statue of a Roman Catholic priest who founded the Lebret Indian Industrial Residential School currently stands in the Sacred Heart Catholic cemetery. (Source: Star Andreas)
Star Andreas camped at the site in protest for four days ahead of the statue’s removal
“I did not want to leave the camp because the children still need to be found,” said Andreas.
Archbishop of Regina Donald Bolen said the Archdiocese of Regina didn’t run into any opposition when it came to removing the statue.
“In the current climate and all the tensions of the present moment, this was a request that pretty straightforward and seemed to be a completely good request,” said Bolen.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) and the Star Blanket Cree Nation had called on the Archdiocese of Regina to remove the statue.
“The statue must go. It is not appealing. It brings out emotions of pain, suffering, and angers out relatives that went through the residential school era,” Star Blanket Cree Nation Chief Michael Starr said in a June 11 press release.
On June 14, the Archdiocese of Regina confirmed it would remove the statue after consultation with the chief and council of Star Blanket First Nation, the local parish, council and mayor of Lebret.
The statue is now bring stored in the church, Bolen said there will be discussions on what to do with it permanently.
Andreas said the statue’s removal is a small victory, but there’s still work to be done.
“There’s so many children out there, we got to find them, we got to bring them home, we got to do ceremonies,” she said. “We got to heal.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.