KAWARTHA LAKES-During a Special Council meeting earlier this week, Mayor Letham paid respect to the victims and families of those found in unmarked graves at a cemetery near the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan.
Read it below:
“On our Council Chambers desk sits a tiny pair of shoes to remind us of 751 lives, many of them children who never came home from their residential school in Saskatchewan. This is in addition to the 215 unmarked graves in Kamloops. We pause to reflect on this tremendous loss.
On behalf of Council, we offer our deepest condolences to the families of those whose remains were found in Saskatchewan. We offer heartfelt sympathy to the Cowessess First Nation and our neighbouring First Nations communities: Curve Lake First Nation, Hiawatha First Nation and Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.
As Canadians, this is our time to educate ourselves, take action and raise awareness of the tragic history that has unfolded from the residential school system and its lasting effects on so many lives today. As a municipality, we will continue to acknowledge these atrocities and address the need for reconciliation with action. Our flags are lowered to half-mast as a reflection of our sorrow. City Hall will be lit in orange lights every night in July. We will work with First Nations communities to honour the memory of these children in coming weeks and months.”
