Photo courtesy of University of Regina

Fourteen possible burial sites have been found near the former Gordon’s Indian Residential School, located north of Regina near Punnichy. Beginning last fall, four areas of interest were searched using Ground Penetrating Radar.

Chief of George Gordon’s First Nation Byron Bitternose announced the findings at a news conference Wednesday and said in the coming months the area will be a priority, an area for continued searching. He says they hope one day they will be able tell their children the whole story about their great grandparents, grandparents, parents and siblings.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has a record of 49 student deaths there and the commission’s final report called the school one of the worst run in the entire residential system.

The next steps include expanding the search area, and it was noted at the news conference by Sarah Longman – a member of the George Gordon First Nation – this will likely be a 10-year journey to complete the process.

The school was established by the Anglican Church of Canada in 1888, it was destroyed by fire in 1921 and rebuilt operating until 1996, making it one of the longest-running residential schools in Canada.

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