'They needed to be marked': Regina metal shop launches fundraiser to commemorate unmarked graves at residential schools
A Regina metal shop has launched a new initiative to support residential school survivors and remember children who did not make it home.
Pro Metal Industries, which says it’s one of the only First Nations-owned manufacturing enterprises in the country, is producing 500 black and 500 orange aluminium feather keepsakes.
Organizers said they came up with the idea after unmarked graves were found at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. Since going online Monday, the feathers have been purchased by people across North America.
“It was really amazing to see those orders coming in and now even today I’m seeing orders come in from New York and places like Texas which you know we never thought it would cross borders like it has,” said Melissa Reynolds, director of first impressions with Pro Metal Industries.
All of the proceeds will go towards creating a new scholarship for Indigenous students at Saskatchewan post secondary institutions.
Pasqua First Nation, which owns Pro Metal Industries, is a partner in the project and consulted with the shop ahead of producing the feathers.
Chief Matthew Peigan of Pasqua First Nation said they wanted to create a lasting memory with the aluminium feather, so people don’t forget what happened to Indigenous children at residential schools.
“These feathers, they’re not going to deteriorate. And in 30 years time, the significance of Every Child Matters and the orange will make people not forget,” said Chief Peigan.
“It’s so lightweight that you could carry it with you.”
Chief Matthew Peigan of Pasqua First Nation is pictured with the aluminum feather made by Pro Metal Industries. (Source: Pro Metal Industries)
Chief Matthew Peigan of Pasqua First Nation is pictured with the aluminum feather made by Pro Metal Industries. (Source: Pro Metal Industries)
Chief Peigan added the scholarship money raised will honour the academic achievements of Indigenous youth.
In addition to the feathers, Pro Metal has also started working on grave markers to be placed at gravesites.
“They need to be marked,” said Pro Metal president Mark Brown. “These children can never be forgotten. We need to have a keepsake or a reminder for everybody that there is actually a child buried here from the residential school system.”
--
If you are a residential school survivor in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line at 1-800-721-0066.
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.