The Municipality of Kincardine will be lowering its flags at Municipal facilities in honour of the 751 children found in unmarked graves at the grounds of a former residential school in in Saskatchewan.
Following the discovery of another 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Saskatchewan, all flags at Municipality of Kincardine facilities will be lowered to honour and mourn the Indigenous children who never returned home to their families after attending residential schools across Canada.
The Municipality of Kincardine grieves with the Cowessess First Nation and all Indigenous communities who are mourning. This news comes just weeks after the discovery of the 215 bodies of Indigenous children at the site of Kamloops Residential School.
Residential schools are a dark, tragic and a very real part of the history of this country we call Canada. The schools have impacted First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples in the past, in the present and will continue to in the future. It is estimated that at least 150,000 First Nation, Inuit, and Métis children attended residential schools up until the late 1990s. During the years of residential schools, children were forcibly removed from their homes and were often subjected to horrendous conditions and the deliberate suppression of Indigenous cultures and languages. Thousands of children died while attending residential schools.
Gerry Glover stated that “Indigenous communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast will continue to hurt, be traumatized and re-victimized with subsequent discoveries of sites further reaffirming the unfortunate realities of cultural genocide. We need a real, genuine and committed effort from all levels of government to identify and bring home all Indigenous children so that generations of families may start on their personal journey toward healing.
On behalf of the Municipality of Kincardine I would like to extend my condolences to the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the Historic Saugeen Métis (HSM) and all Indigenous communities across Canada. We mourn with you and stand with you during this difficult time.”
Support is available through the National Indigenous Residential School Crisis Line which has been set up to provide support for former residential school survivors and those impacted. This service can be accessed by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1 -866 925-4419.
Mayor Glover also stated that “this is a stark example and devastating reminder of the horrendous treatment that the Canadian residential school system inflicted on Indigenous peoples. Much more remains to be done as a community, and as a country. Let our sadness fuel us towards action. It is essential that we learn about what happened, that we acknowledge what happened, that we speak about the history, and that we move to action. Lowering our flags is an acknowledgement of this very dark period of Canada’s history and symbolizes our commitment towards healing, action and reconciliation.”
