'Possible burials' discovered on site of former Sask. residential school

Apology to residential school survivors Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations' David Pratt on the Archbishop of Canterbury apologizing to residential school survivors.

A Saskatchewan First Nation will reveal the results of a geophysical investigation where “possible burials” were found on the site of a former residential school.

George Gordon First Nation, located approximately 116 kilometres north of Regina, will share the results of its first ground search at an event Wednesday.

“As you can expect, the undertaking has been very challenging on many levels and we are acutely aware of the many risks and impacts this announcement can have on our membership, former attendees of George Gordon Indian Residential school and descendants,” Sarah Longman, the George Gordon IRS committee chair, said in a news release.

A committee worked for several months to search the grounds of the former Gordon’s Indian Residential School for spots where unmarked graves could be. The First Nation started the search process in mid-2021.

According to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the Gordon’s Indian Residential School was established as a dayschool by the Anglican Church of Canada in 1876 before expanding to include student housing in 1888. The school was destroyed by a fire in 1929 before being rebuilt. The residence was closed in 1996.

The announcement will be made at 3 p.m. on April 20.

In February, Keeseekoose First Nation announced it found 54 ground disturbances believed to be graves during its radar search.

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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 at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line at 1-800-721-0066.

Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.