Search for unmarked graves to resume at former residential school in Nova Scotia
A survivor of the largest residential school in the Maritimes says the search will continue for unmarked graves at the sprawling rural site north of Halifax.
Dorene Bernard, a Mi'kmaq elder, confirmed Tuesday that ground-penetrating radar was used at the former Shubenacadie Indian Residential school in April and December of last year, but no graves or human remains were found.
"But there is a lot of work to do because the school had a great big footprint -- acres of land all along the river," said Bernard, a well-known academic and advocate for Indigenous rights. "We're looking at meeting with survivors in the fall to come up with a plan for those investigations."
Bernard said she felt devastated when she learned last week about the 215 unmarked burial sites found at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., but she made it clear she was not surprised by the grim discovery.
"I wasn't shocked that that had happened," she said in an interview. "I'm sure other survivors across the land who know the history and have lived that history would also hope this would bring credibility to their stories."
There is an official list of 16 students who died while attending the Shubenacadie school, but Bernard said survivors have come forward in the past three years to provide the names of more missing children.
The Department of Indian Affairs opened the school in 1930. Students were taken in from all three Maritime provinces and the Restigouche reserve in Quebec. Operated by the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Halifax until 1956, the institution was only school of its type in Atlantic Canada.
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued a report saying Canada's church-run, government-sponsored residential school system -- in operation for 120 years -- was a tool for cultural genocide. The commission has compiled a list of 4,100 names of children who died of disease or accident while attending a residential school.
"Large numbers of the Aboriginal children who were sent to residential schools never returned to their home communities," the commission says on its website.
"Some of these children ran away, while others died at the schools. The exact number of children who died at school may never be known, but the death rates for many schools, particularly during times of epidemic or disease, were very high."
Virtually every member of Bernard's family was sent to the school near the banks of the twisting Shubenacadie River. Her father was one of the first students. When she first arrived there in 1961, she was four-and-a-half years old. She stayed until 1964, then returned from 1966 until 1967, when the school was shut down.
Bernard declined to talk about her experiences at the school.
As for the possibility that some students died and were buried on the site, Bernard says she's concerned that the large property has been disturbed over the years, mainly because the school burned down in the 1980s and was later replaced by a plastics plant.
"They levelled that area and filled in the hole when the building came down," said Bernard.
"They added more soil from other areas to level the grounds on top of the hill," she added. "It needs to be fully investigated .... We're going to continue to do the work .... I'm hopeful this will be speeded up as a result of what came out of Kamloops."
On Monday, the Mi'kmaq Rights Initiative and the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs issued a joint statement saying the ongoing search for remains may include a nearby lake.
"We all want to ensure that the site is fully investigated as this work is extremely important to our people," the groups said.
In September 2020, Parks Canada announced it would recognize the location as a national historic site. Bernard said historic plaques are being made and will be installed this fall.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.