News & Updates
A collection of news and internal articles shared regarding the latest updates in discovery, truth, and reconciliation surrounding residential schools.
Mistawasis Nehiyawak woman recalls ‘long days’ spent in basement ‘Indian ward’ at Prince Albert hospital
A First Nations health analyst in Saskatchewan is sharing the story of a woman who as a child spent eight months in the basement of Holy Family Hospital in Prince Albert in a segregated ward-in the hope others will come forward.
Brenda Robertson works in the First Nations Health Ombudsperson’s office in Saskatoon and says while a lot is known about so-called “Indian Hospitals” that resulted in a class action against the government, little has been shared about “Indian wards” or annexes.
“Unfortunately, the class action lawsuit was narrowly defined. Only those who attended the listed “Indian hospitals” were entitled to apply to be part of the class action lawsuit,” Robertson tells APTN News in an interview. The Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception (SCIC), built and operated Holy Family Hospital from 1910–1997. The hospital is not on the Class Action’s approved list of 33 Indian hospitals.