Île-à-la-Crosse boarding school survivors reach $27M agreement with feds

Scott Larson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 03, 2025 6:49 PM EST | Last Updated: March 4

Antoinette LaFleur waited astir of her beingness for this day.

The Île-à-la-Crosse boarding schoolhouse subsister and elder was connected manus Monday to perceive the national authorities had signed a $27-million statement successful rule with survivors of the school.

"I endured due to the fact that I was capable to archer my communicative that had been hidden for truthful galore years," LeFleur said astatine a quality league successful Île-à-la-Crosse.

LaFleur said she ne'er told her children astir the maltreatment she suffered astatine the school.

"I've waited 77 years for this clip to happen."

The statement besides comes with a idiosyncratic apology from the national authorities and an further $10-million bequest money to beryllium utilized for cultural, connection and attraction programs.

The Île-à-la-Crosse Boarding School, successful the colony of Île-à-la-Crosse about 460 kilometres northbound of Saskatoon, was 1 of the oldest of its benignant successful Canada and operated from the 1860s to the mid-1970s.

Île-à-la-Crosse students were denied the Indian Residential School settlements that others received, connected the ground that the schoolhouse was tally by the Roman Catholic Church with nary national funding.

Louis Gardner was sent to the schoolhouse erstwhile helium was conscionable 5 and was determination from 1961-69.

Gardner said helium is blessed the statement comes with a idiosyncratic apology.

"They utilized to unit america to spell to confession and archer your sins. Now we're saying the aforesaid happening to them. You archer america your sins now."

Survivors person been warring for an apology with the national and provincial governments for the past 20 years.

Gardner said with galore survivors dying, it was imperative to get an statement done.

"We're losing the survivors astatine a accelerated pace, and truthful we conscionable consciousness that it's clip to astatine slightest honour immoderate of our survivors and look aft them the mode we should beryllium looking aft them," helium said.

Métis Nation-Saskatchewan curate of justness and vice president Michelle LeClair said the statement is conscionable 1 measurement toward reconciliation and justice.

"With this colony with Canada, it's exciting, but we inactive person a suit against the Saskatchewan government."

WATCH | Île-à-la-Crosse boarding schoolhouse survivors yet settee people enactment suit against Ottawa: 

LeClair said the national authorities has accepted 50 per cent responsibility, and present survivors privation the state to travel to the array and scope a settlement.

"There tin ne'er beryllium existent reconciliation oregon justness for the survivors until Saskatchewan fulfils its obligations connected this file," LeClair said.

Survivors and the national authorities are present moving connected drafting the last colony agreement.

LeClair said they are hoping the beneficiaries could person entree to the wealth sometime this summer.

Survivor and elder Emile Janvier said thing tin marque up for what happened to children astatine the school.

"We went done hellhole conscionable to get an education. We went done abuse, intelligence abuse, carnal maltreatment and loneliness conscionable to get an education," Janvier said.

"No idiosyncratic should beryllium treated similar that.… It affects the children too."

A nationalist 24-hour Indian Residential School Crisis Line is disposable astatine 1-866-925-4419 for affectional and situation referral services for survivors and those affected.