Archeological work on the site of the former Royal Victoria Hospital and Allan Memorial Institute has begun, with experts mapping the area to search for the remains of Indigenous children in Montreal.
The Kanien’keha:ka Kahnistensera, also known as the Mohawk Mothers, struck an agreement on April 6 with McGill University, the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI), the MUHC, the City of Montreal and the Attorney General of Canada to allow for archeological work to be conducted.
The Mothers and lawyers for the other parties met in Superior Court Thursday morning to homologate, or give legal status to the agreement.
“This is wonderful. We finally got this going. It’s a big relief for us, it’s been a lot of work,” said Kahentinetha, a Mohawk mother.
“That is primarily what we are here for, our children, to find out what our history is and to make sure our children are put to rest in the proper way,” said Mohawk mother Kwetiio.
The agreement follows the mothers winning an historic injunction in the fall, suspending expansion work on the Royal Victoria hospital site. All sides met several times over the last few months, negotiating and working out an agreement to allow for the searching for remains. The parties agreed to appoint a panel of three archeologists, and a junior student archeologist appointed by the Kanien’keha:ka Kahnistensera.
As per the agreement, the panel will study and map the land, and will identify appropriate archeological techniques to be used on various sites to detect if there are any unmarked graves.
McGill, the SQI and the Mohawk Mothers agreed to be bound by the recommendations of the panel, and if no graves are found, excavation and construction work can begin.
While some experts maintain there are no bodies on the site — as it was never a residential school and was a hospital built on bedrock — the Mohawk Mothers believe children were buried there during experiments in the 1950s and 60s at the Allan Memorial Institute.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Gregory Moore permitted 82-year-old Lana Ponting to speak for the mothers during court proceedings Thursday morning, stipulating what she said was not to be admitted as evidence.
Ponting suffered through electroshock therapy and other treatments in the 1950s. She claims she saw Indigenous children fed drugs, and believes she saw graves being dug. She flew from Winnipeg to support the Mohawk mothers during their court proceedings.
“I remember one night I snuck out. I saw people with shovels,” she said. “I remember them because they had red handles. They were digging. I firmly believe there are bodies on the property of the Allan Memorial Institute.”
In a statement to Global News, spokesman for the SQI Francis Martel said: “The agreement provides for continued collaboration between the Kanien’keha:ka Kahnistensera, the SQI and McGill in an effort to shed light on allegations that there may be burials on the site of the former Royal Victoria Hospital.”
“This joint effort is based on the appointment of a panel of expert archaeologists……In addition, culturally appropriate measures, such as the presence of cultural monitors on site during archaeological work, will be implemented to ensure that the project is culturally acceptable to Aboriginal communities. The SQI is very pleased to announce the signing of this agreement which will shed light on the allegations of the presence of graves. The agreement will also make it possible to continue development work on this exceptional Montreal site by redeveloping its buildings and contributing to the creation of new green spaces on Mount Royal.”
A federally-appointed special interlocutor for missing children and unmarked graves, Kimberly Murray, was involved in that judgement, and the signed agreement. Lawyer Julian Falconer called it historic.
“This is a first in Canada, for setting a precedent for how indigenous people can work with the oppressor,” Falconer said. “It’s a complete vindication of the Mohawk mothers and their ways. The work will continue in the presence of cultural monitors offered up by the Mohawk mothers and what you will see is this extraordinary cooperative exercise. It’s a tribute to the courage of the Mohawk mothers.”
It’s expected the work will take up to six months to complete.
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