At the site of the former Mohawk Institute residential school in Brantford, the director of the Indigenous cultural centre that now occupies the building says the Pope's apology to residential school survivors is a step in the right direction, but more action is needed.
"I don’t know if it necessarily brings closure," said Janis Monture, Woodland Cultural Centre executive director. "Because there are still a lot of people who haven't been held accountable for the actions that took place at these institutions."
The Woodland Cultural centre is housed in what was once the Mohawk Institute. Considered Canada's longest running residential school it opened in 1828 and closed in 1971.
During that time, Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their homes and forced to attend the facility where teachers and administrators attempted to strip them of their language and culture.
Across the country, around 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families and forced to attend residential schools beginning in the late 1800s. Numerous cases of abuse and at least 4,100 deaths have been documented at the former residential schools, where thousands of confirmed and unmarked graves have been found. Canada’s last residential school closed in 1996.
The residential school system was set up by the Canadian government and most facilities were run by the Catholic Church.
However the Mohawk Institute was run by the Anglican Church, which has already apologized to Indigenous communities for the role it plays.
"I don't know how it [the apology] will play into the work we're doing at Woodland at this time," said Monture.
A campaign called "Save the Evidence" is underway at the former Mohawk Institute trying to preserve and restore the site.
The centre said there needs to be more than just an apology.
"There needs to be more accountability on their end and the releasing of the records for these institutions, so that we can ensure that we have all the documents to properly acknowledge all the children that attended these institutions," said Monture. "Because right now, that’s still a huge hurdle."
Meanwhile Sherlene Bomberry, a survivor of the Mohawk Institute called the Pope's apology "one baby step forward."
"He heard, he listened," said Bomberry. "Something really broke through to him."
Bomberry attended the Mohawk Institute for over two years.
"It was lonely, I was lost cause I really didn’t know who I was," she said, saying her language and culture were stolen from her and she endured abuse at the institution.
Support is available to anyone affected by the ongoing effects of residential schools.
The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line can be reached 24-hours a day, 7-days a week at 1-866-925-4419.
Six Nations also operates a 24/7 crisis line, which can reached at 519-445-2204 or 1-866-445-2204
Six Nations Mental Health and Addictions can be reached Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 519-445-2143
