In Kamloops, B.C., the bodies of 215 children were discovered at the end of May.
Following this, two more announcements have been made about the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves and remains of Indigenous children at two more former residential school grounds in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
These tragic deaths were never acknowledged, parents never got to know what happened to them and never had the opportunity to properly bury or mourn their deaths.
Family and Children’s Services of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville welcomes the Ontario government’s announcement of $10 million dollars to help support the investigation of Indian Residential School burial sites across the province.
Our nation’s catastrophic failures which led to the establishment of Residential Schools must be rectified, and we at FCSLLG are determined to be part of the solution.
We are committed to being part of a social system that promotes equitable outcomes for all children and families, challenging the colonial practices which have led to the over-representation of Indigenous children and youth in our care and across the province.
Through education of staff, board members and community partners, we will all learn how best to deliver services to Indigenous children and families in culturally appropriate ways, always cognizant of the terrible errors of the past.
We cannot undo that which has been done, but as an agency we can commit to action towards truth and reconciliation.
