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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.