Group forms to support Indigenous-led searches of residential school burial sites in Manitoba

Principles for the work include putting families and residential school survivors at the heart of all search efforts, offering health supports and protecting burial remains.

Indigenous organizations in Manitoba, officials from the City of Winnipeg and the provincial and federal governments are forming a council to support searches for burial sites of children who attended residential schools.

Reconciliation Minister Alan Lagimodiere says they will work together to provide guidance on how best to support the Indigenous-led searches.

The Southern Chiefs’ Organization and the province will co-chair the council, which includes representatives from First Nations, Metis and Inuit groups.

Principles for the work are to include putting families and survivors at the heart of all search efforts, offering health supports and protecting burial locations and remains.

The province previously committed $2.5 million to support identification, investigation, protection and commemoration of children who died while attending residential schools.

The province said in a news release there were six First Nation communities in Manitoba actively carrying out searches using ground-penetrating radar as of last December.

The council will also include representatives from residential school health support programs, tribal councils and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

“Indigenous leaders, governments, organizations, communities, elders, knowledge keepers and, most importantly, survivors and families must lead the way as we implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action and locate missing children who died attending residential schools,” Lagimodiere said in a release.