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Ontario provides $1.3M to support Mohawk Institute ground search
The Ontario government says it is providing $1.3 million to the Survivors’ Secretariat at the Six Nations of the Grand River to support early stages in their confirmation of unmarked burials at the former Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School in Brantford.
The Survivor’s Secretariat says it had previously received funding from the federal government, but this is the first time the province is providing funds.
The province says the funding will support research and document collection, technical expertise and purchase of equipment needed for ground searches and communication and engagement with leadership and community member on the work recovering the missing children. This will include searching an area of around 600 acres by utilizing technologies such as ground penetrating radar.
“Our government is committed to supporting the Survivors’ Secretariat’s complex work to uncover, document and share the truth about what happened at the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School during its 136 years of operation,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs, in a statement. “We continue to welcome a dialogue with the leaders of Six Nations and the Survivors’ Secretariat about issues that are important to their community, including the confirmation of unmarked burials at the former Mohawk Institute.”
The Mohawk Institute was an Indian Residential School located in Brantford. The Anglican Church of Canada and the Government of Canada ran the school from 1885 to 1970, making it the longest operating residential school in Canada.
The Survivors’ Secretariat is a survivor-led organization that was established in 2021 to organize and support efforts to uncover, document and share the truth about what happened at the Mohawk Institute during its operation.
