St. Joseph’s Mission Investigation Activity Summary for the period of November 20 to November 26, 2021

On Wednesday, November 24th, WLFN issued a Press Release announcing that in early December, WLFN will be receiving preliminary geophysical results from the first phase of the investigation at the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School (SJM).

Immediately after receiving the geophysical results, WLFN will be hosting an all Chiefs meeting with Chiefs of communities directly affected by the operations at St. Joseph’s Mission. This meeting will take place on the morning of December 10th, 2021 and will provide the Chiefs with an opportunity to ask questions of the technical experts involved in the first phase of the investigation. This session is closed to the media and to the public, and attendance is by invitation only.

In the afternoon of December 10th, a formal press conference will be held to announce the preliminary results of the geophysical investigation. This will be followed by a brief question and answer session. The anticipated start time for this session is 1:00 pm on December 10th, at 2561 Quigli Drive. Anyone planning to attend the session must make arrangements in advance with Dominique Melanson ([email protected]), as COVID protocols are in place and seating is limited.

“We know that everyone is eager to receive these results,” states Chief Sellars. “But we’re asking that everyone be patient and respectful of the process. Our key concern is the mental health and welfare of the survivors of St. Joseph’s, and that of their families. We’re trying to conduct this process in as orderly a fashion as possible.”

WLFN will be arranging for on-site health and wellness supports for the duration of the events and will be reaching out to affected communities to help arrange supports in those communities.

The SJM team has received additional records from the Esk’etemc First Nation which has been very helpful towards putting information together in relation to the SJM Residential School timeline.

The SJM team conducted two interviews last week with members from Canoe Creek and Anahim Lake. The team is anticipating that few interviews will be scheduled during the winter months but encourage those wishing to tell their story to reach out to the team at [email protected].