751 Unmarked Graves Discovered

The Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan says hundreds of unmarked graves have been discovered on the grounds of a former residential school—the most identified at one site, to date, in Canada.

Chief Cadmus Delorme announced the discovery today following a radar search of the grounds at what was once the Marieval Indian Residential School.

He says there are 751 flags placed along the field at each point the radar search returned a hit. While there is a chance for false returns, they are confident that they have located over 600 unmarked graves.

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations says the gravesite was overseen by the Roman Catholic Church from 1886 to the 1970s, and accuses the church of removing headstones from the site in the 1960s.

There is a growing number of calls for similar searches to be conducted for unmarked graves across the country.

Premier Andrew Furey states that Indigenous leaders will have government’s support when it comes to their decision on the approach they wish to see regarding unmarked burial sites in this province.

Four residential schools were operated in Labrador and one in Newfoundland.

Courtesy of the VOCM.