Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) is receiving $475,000 from the province to support residential school survivors.
The cash will be provided over the next two years to support Indian Residential School Survivors and the communities affected by the six former residential schools in NAN territory, Ontario announced today. It's in addition to the money for First Nations leading burial investigations at former residential school sites.
“This funding will help us develop healing initiatives to support our families and communities through community-driven initiatives as they search for their loved ones. The search for these innocent children will be a painful experience and needs to be done with great care and respect. We look forward to implementing our Reclamation and Healing Strategy and will continue to develop and implement cultural and spiritual mental health supports to support all those who undertake this important work," said NAN Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum in a news release.
The funding will help NAN develop, consult and implement a survivor-led reclamation and healing strategy during planned and ongoing residential school burial investigations.
“Our government continues to seek direction from Indigenous partners and organizations, like Nishnawbe Aski Nation, to address critical funding needs for Indian Residential School burial investigations and related work,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs. “Ontario will work to ensure that Indigenous communities have access to available funding to support the full range of important work that lies ahead.”
In Ontario, there are 18 known residential school sites, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC).
On the James Bay coast, there were residential schools in Fort Albany and Moose Factory. The residential school closest to Timmins was Chapleau Indian Residential School.
The St. Anne’s Indian Residential School Survivors (IRS) Project is underway and includes establishing protocols for searches, remains, assessments and healing.
A 24-hour national residential school crisis line, established to provide support to former students and their families, can be accessed at 1-866-925-4419.
