Ontario is set to provide $475 000 in funding to Nishnawbe Aski Nation over the next two years to support Indian Residential School Survivors.
As more burial sites of First Nation children are uncovered on the ground of former Residential Schools, the funding from the Ontario government will help Nishnawbe Aski Nation develop a Survivor-led Reclamation and Healing Strategy to support the healing of survivors and communities during planned and ongoing Indian Residential School burial investigations.
“This funding will help us develop healing initiatives to support our families and communities through community-driven initiatives as they search for their loved ones. The search for these innocent children will be a painful experience and needs to be done with great care and respect,” Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum of Nishnawbe Aski Nation said, “we look forward to implementing our Reclamation and Healing Strategy and will continue to develop and implement cultural and spiritual mental health supports to support all those who undertake this important work.”
This Strategy includes implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action 71 – 76 in Nishnawbe Aski Nation territory with culturally appropriate, trauma-informed mental health and wellness initiatives.
The funding will also provide communications and technical support and public education and awareness initiatives related to the legacy and impacts of the Indian Residential School system.
On Oct. 29, 2021, the province announced an investment of more than $36 million in community-led mental health and addiction supports for Indigenous communities across the region, including support for residential school survivors and their families. Then, a month later, the Ontario government also announced it was committing an additional $10 million in funding, beyond the original $10 million reported in June 2021, to support the identification, investigation, protection and commemoration of Indian Residential School (IRS) burials across the province.
“Our government continues to seek direction from Indigenous partners and organizations, like Nishnawbe Aski Nation, to address critical funding needs for Indian Residential School burial investigations and related work,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs. “Ontario will work to ensure that Indigenous communities have access to available funding to support the full range of important work that lies ahead.”
It is essential to understand the tragedies of residential and the intergenerational trauma that affect First Nation communities around the country. With this funding in place, collectively, the communities of Northwestern Ontario can develop the cultural and spiritual mental heal supports needed to education the public on Residential Schools.
A National Residential School Crisis Line is available to support former residential school students. You can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-Hour National Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. The Hope for Wellness Help Line is also at 1-855-242-3310, including an online chat function through their website.
Click the link for more information on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Call to Action on missing children and burial information.
