Why is important information being held from the public ? This is the question of many people including Gilles Bisson. Below is the letter to John Gerretsen, the Attorney General of Ontario.
July 17, 2013
The Honorable John Gerretsen
Attorney General of Ontario
McMurtry-Scott Building
720 Bay Street, 11th Floor
Toronto, ON
M7A 2S9
Re: OPP Files On St. Anne’s Residential School Investigation
Dear Minister Gerretsen,
I am writing you regarding the ongoing attempt by people from my region to receive redress and closure on the devastating impacts of the residential school era. At the present time, a number of survivors of St. Anne’s residential school in Fort Albany are participating in the federal Independent Assessment Process (IAP). The IAP was set up to adjudicate claims brought forward by victims of sexual, physical and psychological abuse during the dark days of the residential schools.
The conditions faced by children at St. Anne’s were particularly brutal. So much so, that in the 1990s the Ontario Provincial Police launched a widespread investigation into allegations of widespread sexual and physical abuse at the school. The police compiled nearly 1,000 witness statements and seized documents relating to the abuse from the Catholic Church and key individuals in numerous communities. In all, over 7,000 pages of evidence were gathered by our provincial police force.
However, none of this evidence has been made available to either the claimants or the adjudication process.
I am sure you will agree that, in the interests of justice and reconciliation that all efforts should be made to ensure that the victims of the St. Anne’s abuse have access to the police and court evidence that was obtained through the excellent investigative work of the OPP. This is particularly important as the allegations regard the sexual abuse and physical torture of children as young as six.
The evidence in this case was gathered by Provincial authorities all efforts need to be made to ensure coordination with the federal officials dealing with this process. As individual hearings are already underway, the failure to provide this information could undermine the ability of the claimants to obtain a fair hearing.
To this end, I am requesting that you contact the Federal Justice Department lawyers to find out how best to provide this evidence to the IAP. Regardless of our jurisdiction – federal or provincial – we all have a common duty to ensure that evidence regarding the torture and that was inflicted on children at this institution is made available.
Given the urgency of this matter, I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
Gilles Bisson, MPP
Timmins - James Bay
Cc. Grand Chief Stan Louttit, Mushkegowuk Council
Stan Ish, Adjudicator IAP
Justice Murray Sinclair, Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Chief Rex Knaypaysweet, Fort Albany First Nation
Chief Theresa Spence, Attawapiskat First Nation
Chief Derek Stephen, Kashechewan First Nation
Chief Edmund Hunter, Peawanuck First Nation
Chief Norm Hardisty, Moose Cree First Nation
Chris D. Lewis, Commissioner, Ontario Provincial Police
Crown Attorney’s Office, Timmins Ontario
Charlie Angus MP Timmins James Bay
The above comments are not Gilles Bisson's. The scandals that are allowed to happen in this country and protected by religion are ridiculous. I hope the people affected by this terrible situation get whatever they are asking for.
