Burlington Council Unanimously Supports City of Brantford in Calling for Release of all Federal, Provincial Documents Related to Former Mohawk Institute Residential School
ADMINISTRATOR'S NOTE: On Feb. 9, 2023, the City Clerk received a response from the Prime Minister's Office regarding the resolution below Burlington City Council passed on Jan. 24. It is available online in the Council Information Package for Feb. 10, 2023 on page 17.
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At our Burlington City Council meeting on Jan. 24, we unanimously approved supporting a resolution from the City of Brantford calling for the release of all federal and provincial documents related to the former Mohawk Institute Residential School.MY TAKE:This motion originates from my Ontario's Big City Mayors (OBCM) colleague, Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis and his ask for records to be released in order to locate, identify, document, maintain, commemorate and protect sites where residential school children were buried at all former residential schools. The survivors of these former residential school have asked for this.We had a very powerful keynote speaker at the recent 2023 Rural Ontario Municipalities Association (ROMA) Conference -- Jesse Wente, a First Nations Canadian arts journalist, author and chair of the Canada Council for the Arts. He spoke about Truth and Reconciliation and how Truth demands that we know what happened, and Reconciliation doesn’t happen without recognizing the truth. One way to do that is through the release of these documents. This is one small step for us to add our voice to this call and help working towards Truth & Reconciliation.BACKGROUND:In May 2021, Canadians we shaken by the news that a land survey of the grounds at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School uncovered the remains of 215 children buried at the site. Following this announcement, the Survivors of the Mohawk Institute, along with their families and community members called on the Federal and Provincial governments to support a search for the remains of the missing children who may have been buried on the Mohawk Institute’s grounds and the surrounding area. The Survivors of the Mohawk Institute Residential School are also demanding the release of all Federal and Provincial documents related to the former Residential School.The release of this information to the Survivors’ Secretariat will aid in the search for truth, justice and healing. As a country and community, we must work together to find ways to acknowledge these atrocities and commemorate and honour the lives that have beenlost.For this reason, Burlington Council supports Brantford Council's resolution calling for the release, by the Governments of Canada and Ontario, and the Anglican Church of all documents in their possession related to the former Mohawk Residential School located on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, within the geographical boundaries of the City of Brantford.For a copy of my motion memo/our resolution and the City of Brantford's resolution, please see below:
- Mayor Meed Ward's Motion Memo: ADM-01-23 Motion to Release Federal and Provincial Documents Related to the Former Mohawk Institute Residential School
- City of Brantford Resolution: ADM-01-23 Attachment to Jan. 24 MM - City of Brantford Resolution
MAYOR MEED WARD MOTION MEMORANDUM:Whereas the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action #71 through to #76 on Missing Children and Burial Information calls on all levels of government to release records relating to former residential schools in order to locate, identify, document, maintain, commemorate and protect sites where residential school children were buried at all former residential schools; andWhereas Survivors of the Mohawk Institute Residential School are demanding the release of all Federal and Provincial documents related to the former Mohawk Institute Residential School; andAnd whereas the City of Burlington is committed to actively advancing truth and reconciliation through policies, strategies and initiatives;Therefore, be it resolved that Council for the City of Burlington support the attached resolution from the City of Brantford, dated May 17, 2022, regarding the Release of all Federal and Provincial Documents Related to the Former Mohawk Institute Residential School, and attached to this motion; andFurther that a copy of this resolution be sent to: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; Premier Doug Ford; Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller; Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu; Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould; Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Greg Rickford; Minister of Red Tape Reduction, Parm Gill; Pam Damoff, MP Oakville North-Burlington; Adam van Koeverden, MP Milton; Natalie Pierre, MPP Burlington; Effie Triantafilopoulos, MPP