George Gordon First Nation announces 14 potential unmarked burial sites at former Sask. residential school

Possible sites found close to former location of Gordon's Indian Residential School

CBC News · Posted: Apr 20, 2022

A memorial for the students who attended Gordon's Indian Residential School in George Gordon First Nation. (Kirk Fraser/CBC)

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

Leaders of George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan announced Wednesday that 14 potential unmarked burial sites had been found close to the site of the former Gordon's Indian Residential School.

George Gordon First Nation's chief and council and the band's residential school cemetery committee announced the results of a geophysical investigation Wednesday afternoon. 

Chief Byron Bitternose addressed the media, announcing the discovery of the 14 possible burial sites. He also said the search is not complete.

"In upcoming months this area will be a priority, an area for continued searching," Bitternose said. "It is my hope that one day we will be able to tell our children the whole story of what their great-grandparents, grandparents, parents and siblings endured."

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Chief Byron Bitternose announced on Wednesday that 14 possible unmarked burials have been found near the former Gordon's Indian Residential School. (Bryan Eneas/CBC)

A total of four areas within the First Nation have been searched, he said. One high-probability site was detected.

While the ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data cannot discern if the sites are graves of children, George Gordon First Nation member Sarah Longman says there is a high probability.