Ground search set to begin at former Lebret residential school site

Children's shoes surround the base of a statue of a Roman Catholic priest who who founded the Lebret Indian Industrial Residential School. (Taylor Rattray/CTV Regina)

REGINA — Members of the Star Blanket Cree Nation in Saskatchewan are preparing to begin ground-penetrating radar searches of the land surrounding the site of the former Lebret Indian Industrial School.

Children from many surrounding First Nations were forced to attend the school, which later became known as the Qu’Appelle Residential School.

The school opened in 1884 west of the Village of Lebret. It was one of the first residential schools to open.

The Lebret Indian Industrial School was the last to close in Canada in 1998. The original school had burned down and a brick school was constructed in the early 20th century.

Ground-penetrating radar will be used to search multiple sites -- identified based on testimonials from former students and elders.

The search will be done in three phases and is expected to take three years.

More details to come…

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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 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419