Costs for gravesite searches go beyond ground penetrating radar: Sask. First Nations
CBC
WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.
The George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan announced last week it had used ground penetrating radar to identify 14 potential unmarked gravesites at the site of the former Gordon's Indian Residential School.
During the announcement, leadership and representatives of the First Nation raised the cost of the project as a concern.
Sarah Longman, chair of the community's cemetery committee — which helped in search efforts — said those costs went beyond just the radar equipment.
"We have to have additional funds to bring in mental health support workers who are on standby outside of our community to help us deal with any kind of impact," she told reporters last week.
"They had to work with our community members, our cultural, spiritual people…. we've had community as well, so there's a whole bunch of other pieces that are part of this cost."
Longman estimated the project cost more than $100,000 total. She also noted that many of the people involved in the search efforts worked on a volunteer basis.
The community's chief Byron Bitternose said the announcement was just phase one of what will become a long search. Longman estimated it would take the community 10 years to complete searching.
When the federal government unveiled its budget earlier this spring, it included money for First Nation communities to search for potential unmarked graves in Saskatchewan.
The government's budget said $209.8 million would be dedicated to the searches over the next five years.
A statement from a Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs spokesperson said of that total, $122 million is to be allocated over the next three-years to the Residential School Missing Children's - Community Support funds.
WATCH | George Gordon First Nation announces first results of ground penetrating radar search:
Communities can access money by submitting funding proposals to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.
"To date, 15 applications have been received from Saskatchewan communities [or] organizations, and 11 have received financial assistance support," the statement said.
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