Ontario to release death registrations of 1,800 Indigenous children

Releasing death records was one of the recommendations in the 2015 report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Nov 2, 2021 Canadian Press

St. Anne's residential school. (Supplied)

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Ontario is in the process of releasing death records of approximately 1,800 Indigenous children to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Releasing death records was one of the recommendations in the 2015 report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that documented abuse suffered by Indigenous children at residential schools.

A spokeswoman for the Office of Ontario’s Registrar General says the province began gathering and archiving the records after the report was released.

The province says Service Ontario has records of deaths that occurred over the past 70 years that were registered with the provincial government. 

It says the search to find death registrations of student-aged Indigenous children began at the end of 2016 and it was determined that the approximately 1,800 records should be released.

The province says digital copies of the records will be transferred to the centre once an agreement authorizing their release is finalized.

Earlier this year, the provincial government committed $10 million to search for burial sites at residential schools following news that the remains of hundreds of people had been found buried near other residential school facilities around Canada. 

The National Truth and Reconciliation Commission has identified 12 locations of unmarked burial sites in Ontario and the province has said there are likely more.

It reported the known deaths of 426 children who attended schools in Ontario and an unknown number of children still missing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2021.