Memorial honouring 215 Indigenous children to stay on Saskatoon church steps
Ceremonies outside a Saskatoon church marked the end of the four day memorial, honouring the lives of 215 children found buried at the Kamloops Residential School.
The hundreds of shoes will continue to stay on the steps of St. Paul Co-Cathedral as a reminder of the mistreatment Indigenous children faced.
Paydahbin Aby started the memorial as a place for people to pay tribute and mourn the lives lost in residential schools.
“People needed a place to gather and grieve together,” Aby said.
She said the memorial also marks a place for conversation about residential schools and the “heinous” treatment of Indigenous people.
“They're not even schools, they were prisons for our children,” Aby told CTV News.
She’s calling for the government, Catholic churches and Pope Francis to acknowledge it as genocide.
Chenoa McArthur attended the Qu’Appelle Indian Residential School. It was the last one in Canada to close in 1998, though by that time it was First Nations-operated and known as White Calf Collegiate.
“A lot of people think it’s ancient history and to just get over it ... It’s not ancient history,” McArthur said.
The Saskatoon memorial has grown over the past days, with hundreds of children’s shoes and stuffed animals covering the church steps.
Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon said he said he acknowledges and honours the tribute, in a statement issued Sunday.
“Our culture is strong, we're not going anywhere. This is in our DNA. We're the grandchildren of the ones they couldn't disappear,” McArthur said.
Parts of the memorial will move to a sacred fire set up by the South Saskatchewan River, set to burn for four days.
If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419. Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Justin and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
New analysis of Beethoven's hair reveals possible cause of mysterious ailments, scientists say
High levels of lead detected in authenticated locks of Ludwig van Beethoven's hair suggest that the composer had lead poisoning, which may have contributed to ailments he endured over the course of his life, including deafness, according to new research.
Debate on abortion rights erupts on Parliament Hill, Poilievre vows he won't legislate
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
B.C. man used Bobcat as 'weapon' while chasing away homeless people, judge says
A B.C. man has been convicted of assault with a weapon after using a skid-steer Bobcat to chase two homeless people from his lawn, injuring one of them in the process.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.