‘Keeping that truth alive’

Premier Wab Kinew announced the province's plan to acquire and protect a former Brandon-area campground, which houses the graves of over 50 Indigenous children from a residential school. Kinew emphasized the importance of keeping the truth of residential school history alive, stating that the site holds "huge national significance" for education about this dark chapter in Canada's past.

The property, which was previously operated as a campground, RV park, and recreational site, will now undergo a transition period of care and planning under the guidance of Indigenous communities and partner organizations. Sioux Valley Dakota Nation First Nation will lead the investigation of the site, using non-invasive technologies such as ground penetrating radar to determine the cemetery's boundaries and protect the sacred site.

The premier visited the location on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to attend a ceremony and mark the property as no longer in use as a recreational space.