Brantford wants records released on former residential school
Brantford is calling for the federal government, provincial government and the Anglican Church to release all documents related to the former Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School in Six Nations.
City councilors unanimously supported the notice of motion at a special council meeting on Tuesday.
"Tonight's special council meeting is exclusively dedicated to a very import and emotional subject," said Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis.
In a media release, the city said it was asking for all three groups to "respectfully release to the Survivors' Secretariat immediately" their records.
That's the group that is coordinating search efforts to uncover unmarked graves near the former residential school.
"We are grateful to the City of Brantford for their support and advocacy of our mandate to create a community archive by collecting all related records from governments, churches and other institutions that were known to have been involved in the operations of the Mohawk Institute," said Kimberly Murray in the release.
It went on to say that Ward 5 Councillor Joshua Wall worked with the Survivors' Secretariat to draft the Notice of Motion.
"If the City of Brantford can release all records related to the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School, other levels of government can too, because survivors and the families of those who never came home deserve to know the truth."
Council also heard from three survivors at Tuesday's meeting. Dawn Hill, Geronimo Henry and Diane Hill shared their experiences at the residential school.
The city said a copy of the resolution will be sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Doug Ford, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Minister of Indigenous Services, Minister of Indigenous Affairs, as well as local MPs and MPPs.
The Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School was in operation from 1831 to 1970.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit natural gas levies to the federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
North Bay doctor accused of assaulting patient, threatening another
A North Bay doctor is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a patient with a weapon and threatening another person at the hospital, police say.