Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation in northwestern Ontario says cadaver dogs conducting ground searches of a former residential school site have found 22 "alerts" indicating the underground presence of historical human remains.
Nineteen of the 22 alerts overlap with areas that survivors have identified as burial sites from residential school times, according to a release Monday from the First Nation.
The search was guided by elders and survivors and conducted over three days in August. These findings are in addition to the 171 "plausible burials" associated with the former St. Mary's Indian Residential School in Kenora, which was operated by the Roman Catholic Church from 1897 to 1972. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation says at least 36 students died while at the school.
On Monday evening, Greg Rickford—Ontario minister of Indigenous affairs—pledged the province's support for Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation, including providing culturally appropriate mental health information.
In May 2021, the T'kemlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced it had identified an estimated 200 potential burial sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Since then, hundreds more potential sites have been identified across Canada.
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