Timeline: The search for graves at the former Mohawk Institute
A TV version of this story will air Friday at 5 p.m. on CTV Kitchener as part of our National Day for Truth and Reconciliation special. It will also be available online following the broadcast.
Warning: This story contains disturbing details
It’s been over a year since news of a mass grave uncovered at a former B.C. residential school put reconciliation in the spotlight across Canada and here in Ontario where Canada’s longest-running residential school was located.
Over the past year, survivors of The Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford have recalled the horrors experienced at the institution.
They've also pushed for a criminal investigation in addition to a search for unmarked graves on school grounds. The Mohawk Institute was in operation from July 1, 1885, to June 27, 1970.
“Deep inside, I’m still hurting like it was just yesterday... it doesn’t go away,” survivor Geronimo Henry said during a memorial held at the former Mohawk Institute on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, 2021.
Less than one month later, preparations for a search of the school grounds began.
Before the site, now home to the Woodland Cultural Centre, could be investigated, a special task force had to be trained to use the ground penetrating radar technology.
“When children died, we were never told what happened to them. We believe some of them died as a result of the actions of the staff and these deaths are highly suspicious,” said survivor Dawn Hill.
In November 2021, the search began.
Roughly a year later, the ground search is ongoing.
The Survivors Secretariat, the group leading the investigation, now says through records they can confirm a total of 97 deaths tied to the former Mohawk Institute.
The toll is more than double what the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation initially reported.
“I think we can safely anticipate that we're going to continue to hear and see in the records that children died,” Laura Arndt, lead of the Survivors Secretariat said earlier this month.
Residential school survivor Roberta Hill called the rising death toll heartbreaking and shocking.
“How could so many children pass away in a residential school? We didn’t go to school to die,” said Hill in September of 2022.
The Survivors Secretariat said they searched about 9.5 acres, which accounts for about 1.5 per cent of the grounds.
As the country marks the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, survivors are hopeful the children who died at the school will finally be able to go home.
“Why not give the families some peace of mind and say ‘here’s where your relative is,’” said Hill.
Support for is available for residential school survivors and those affected by the ongoing legacy 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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members today during a ceremony at British Columbia's legislature cenotaph commemorating the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.