By Colton Swiderski

Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School torn down

Feb 23, 2017 | 9:00 AM

A couple dozen people braved the cold and light snow to witness the demolition of the Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School this morning.

In the works for a couple years now, Mayor Duane Favel said a lot of people have painful memories associated with the building and wanted to see it knocked down.

“Hopefully this will be the beginning of truth and reconciliation for all the people in the region who attended this facility,” Favel said.

Favel had mixed emotions while watching the building’s destruction. He said it was a bitter sweet moment because the federal government has yet to recognize the school. He felt, without recognition there wasn’t a clear path forward.  

“My thoughts kept going back to every single kid that had to endure the emotional, mental, and physical pain and how these experiences still remain unacknowledged and unaddressed,” Favel said. “Students from this boarding school deserve to be treated much better.”

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Best case scenario, he thought a process could be established which would include compensation similar to the agreement reached by First Nations and the federal government over residential schools.

From the time he was a young child until he was in Grade 9, Lawrance Morin attended the Residential School. Witnessing the tear down, Morin said he was happy it happened as he called it a cruel and lonely place.

“My experience was a lot of strapping and a lot of abuse,” he said. “They were very strict to us, we weren’t allowed to go out of the yard… when the soccer ball went over the fence we weren’t allowed to go get it, we had to get the leaders there- or the keepers we called them – to help us.” 

With the building gone and the lot empty, Morin and a few other residents said they would like to see a healing lodge built for school survivors.

At this time, Favel said there is no plan for the site.

colton.swiderski@jpbg.ca              

On Twitter: @coltonswiderski