'We’re all looking for closure': Shubenacadie Residential School survivor
Archaeologists will begin to investigate the former Shubenacadie Residential school grounds Saturday to explore whether there is any burial evidence on site.
Saint Mary’s University Associate Professor Jonathan Fowler will work with Roger Lewis, the Mi’kmaq cultural heritage curator for the Nova Scotia Museum, as a co-investigator. Fowler said the work is expected to take weeks and will rely on small teams using a variety of technologies including drones, ground-penetrating radar, magnetics, historical air photographs and lidar.
"We’re going to create a historical map of that hill and we are going to map every possible feature caused by human intervention on that hill from modern times right back through to could be thousands of years," Fowler said.
The archaeologist explained ground-penetrating radar will transmit a radio wave into the ground, and when done over a large area, can generate a map of what’s underground. Canada also has an air photo national library, which holds millions of historical photos of Canada. Fowler said the earliest photo from around the Shubenacadie Residential School dates back to 1938 — eight years after it opened. The school closed in 1967 and the site is now home to a plastics factory.
"We use those images in a computer mapping environment to track landscape change. And you can imagine that’s a very important tool to then marry with your geophysics," Fowler said.
"Bear in mind this project is actually administered by the community. So I’m doing essentially the technical scientific side, but we’ll also be co-ordinating with folks in the community who will help direct us to areas that they think deserve special attention in the landscape."
Residential school survivor Marie Robinson lives beside the property and helped with previous ground penetrating radar searches that yielded no evidence graves or human remains. She said she was surprised to hear of another search happening so quickly.
"It’s a good thing, but it’s kind of unbelievable." she said. "In everyone else’s minds it’s behind that hill. Down where those barns are. I’m going searching through looking for old pictures. So we can tell where those old buildings were, 'cause there were."
Alan Knockwood, who attended the residential school, said the news was encouraging, but he also is skeptical anything will be found. Knockwood said the area was once an Acadian settlement and the area around the school has been farmed over.
NEVER WITNESSED ANYONE BURIED THERE
He said he never witnessed anyone buried there, but he has heard many stories from his older sisters and elders and he’s convinced it happened.
"When we search for the school, we’re all looking for closure. This is a wound that keeps opening up and we’re not allowed to heal and each and every time a new chapter opens up we have to relive the entire book," Knockwood said.
The Sipekne'katik First Nation said Fowler's research has successfully mapped burials associated with 1873 sinking of the SS Atlantic and identified nearly 300 unmarked graves in the pre-deportation Acadian cemetery at Grand Pré National Historic Site of Canada.
Chief Mike Sack said the work had been top of mind for the band for many years but tragic discovery in Kamloops brought a renewed sense of urgency to the work.
"There needs to be reconciliation and accountability for these horrific acts which we unfortunately know all too well first hand. The prospect of a similar discovery in our community is difficult to consider, but we must fully assess the site," said Sack.
WHERE TO FIND HELP
If you are a former residential school student 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: 1-866-925-4419
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
BREAKING Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Fire engulfs old Edmonton municipal airport hangar
A historical hangar at the former Edmonton municipal airport beside the NAIT main campus was on fire Monday night.
RCMP uncovers plot to sell drones and equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a ploy to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.