The children buried in an unmarked cemetery at a former residential school in Regina will be permanently remembered as a commemorative heritage group now owns the land.
The Regina Indian Industrial School Association and others have been lobbying for years to get the site on Pinkie Road in northwest Regina to be a heritage site, to properly protect the cemetery of the unmarked remains of 35 First Nations and Métis children from across the prairies who attended the school between 1891 and 1910.
On Tuesday the RCMP, the private land owner and the Association participated in a ceremonial land swap.
“We must ensure this time in history is never ever forgotten. And that through this site these children will always be remembered,” said Regina Indian Industrial School Association president Sarah Longman.
The land swap is part of the reconciliation movement, as the Truth and Reconciliation Final report references this site and a Call to Action recommends protecting such cemeteries.
“This little piece of land has been the resting place of more than 35 children who were taken from their families and their communities and who died at the Regina Indian Industrial School,” Regina MP Ralph Goodale said. “Between 1891 and 1910 at least 48 died in just the first six years. So, this is a place of deep human tragedy.”
The RCMP owned the land adjacent to the cemetery site, with Goodale helping to broker the swap. Both the provincial and municipal governments have declared the parcel of land as a heritage site, meaning the City of Regina will have to approve any development on the land.
(Ceremonial land swap at the former site of the Regina Indian Industrial School. Photo by Dan Jones.)