Saddle Lake Cree Nation Grieves

children-sized skeletons wrapped in white cloth. And we now know that the white cloth they were wrapped in were bed sheets from the residential school," Leah Redcrow told reporters.

"One of my closest friends was the late Elder Alex Whiskeyjack, who taught me all about the experiences he had. I spent many hours with Alex in the office of the Chronicle and he knew all too well what the children had to endure.."

by Sonny Rajoo

Much has been written and documented about unmarked graves around Residential Schools and the topic drew closer to home with the recent discovery of unmarked graves in Saddle Lake.

The discovery gained the attention of the national and international media and brought back memories of a dark chapter in the history of the First Nations.

Leah Redcrow, executive director of the Acimowin Opaspiw Society, says they estimate up to 400 children died while attending the school between 1898 and when it closed in 1990.

"The mass grave was filled with

Nothing can be done to change the past but we can all do something to forge closer relationships between our various religious, cultural, and ethnic groups.

"It shouldn't hurt to be a child and therefore we subscribe to the old African proverb, 'It takes a village to raise a child.' To our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, we hope that this sad part of our history will never be repeated."

"A lot of what this is, is getting spiritual justice for our family members who are missing. I myself didn't know that my grandfather had 10 siblings die in this school." said Redcrow.

Redcrow said AOS is now looking for a coroner to sign off on excavating at the site. The report states the society plans to repatriate the remains after DNA matches them to surviving relatives.

If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll-free line at 1-800-721-0066.

MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk presents the Queen Elizabeth ll Platinum Jubilee Medals

As the MLA for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, I was honored to award several constituents with the Queen Elizabeth ll Platinum Jubilee Medal for their outstanding contribution to their communities.

As part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Albertans had the opportunity to nominate fellow Albertans who felt were deserving of this honor. The recipients of the medals were chosen by Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Provincial Selection Panel.

Congratulations to all of the individuals who were nominated.

Congratulations to the following constituents who received their medals on Saturday January 14th.

Pictured right MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk with the award recipients.

Unable to attend Ceremony was:

Diane Fausak Vegreville

Terry Kuzyk Vegreville

Vicky Marshall Mannville

A.M.A. Satar Two Hills