'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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.