'We hope we don't find anything': Alberta First Nation begins ground-penetrating radar survey

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

As Mike Beaver looks out toward the shore of North Wabasca Lake in northern Alberta, his heart feels heavy. 

Beaver, an elder of Bigstone Cree Nation, is also a residential school survivor who was forced to attend the Desmarais Residential School from 1949 until 1958.

On Tuesday, the First Nation about 320 kilometres north of Edmonton began a week-long ground-penetrating radar survey after interviews from survivors indicated potential burials of children from the school.

Beaver, who conducted ceremonies on Tuesday before and after the search began, said in an interview that the community hopes no graves are discovered.

"We hope we don't find anything," Beaver said.

"We're looking for the truth ... we're not living in the past, but we have to find out."

Two residential schools operated in the Wabasca-Desmarais area: the St. John's Residential School and the Desmarais Residential School (St. Martins).

Desmarais was operated by the Roman Catholic Church and was open from 1902 until 1973.

St. John's was run by the Anglican Church from 1902 until 1966.

The survey is being conducted by the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archeology at the University of Alberta.

The institute will initially investigate the St.Martin's area with plans to expand the investigation to St. John's.

Kisha Supernant, director of the institute and part of the team that is investigating, said the institute was approached by the First Nation last year.

"We listened to survivors and elders talk about the various areas that were of concern," Supernant said. "Once we had a chance to talk, we started developing a plan of how to approach an investigation."