According to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the residential school in Grouard, Alta., nearly 400 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, operated from 1894 to 1957. By 1949, Métis students accounted for half of the student body in residence.
"This will be an incredibly difficult time for our Nation members, and others who had loved ones attend the Grouard Mission," Chief Sydney Halcrow said in a statement. "However, we must unearth the truth and bring our people home. It's important we grieve and give proper traditional burials in our way – it is necessary for us to move forward."
The First Nation is working with the Grouard community, other Indigenous leaders at Treaty 8 and the Métis Nation of Alberta, as well as the Grouard Catholic Church and archbishop. In preparation, the nation has collected survivor testimonies, taken drone footage of the area, and obtained current and historical aerial imagery dating back to 1950.