Photo by Manfred Joehnck
A small cemetery containing the remains of at least 35 children who attended the Regina Indian Industrial School over a century ago has now been declared a heritage site by Regina city council.
It was a unanimous vote in favour of the designation.
It was the news Janine Windolph has been waiting more than two years to hear. She began the campaign to get the designation after the city’s administration initially turned down the request in 2014.
A lot has happened since then, including the release of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Windolph first became interested in the project when she learned her stepfather had relatives buried there. She visited the site in the middle of winter and could find nothing but a windswept prairie landscape.
A small, white wooden fence now surrounds the plot of land that contains the unmarked graves of dozens of children.
People often drop off teddy bears or flowers at the location. It has also been a gathering point for several First Nations observances over the last year.
Several delegations appeared before council speaking in favour of the designation, including Lynn Acoose, the chief of the Sakimay First Nation.
The school operated for almost 20 years from 1891 to 1910, when it was converted into a home for delinquent boys. In 1948, the building burned down.