'Where did they go?': No human remains found on Charles Camsell Hospital grounds
Nothing has been found after two more days of searching for unmarked graves at the site of a former “Indian hospital” in central Edmonton.
Crews completed the last of 34 excavations on the Charles Camsell Hospital grounds Friday - after ground-penetrating radar pointed to “anomalies” under the soil.
“We’re happy that nothing has been found here to date,” Papaschase Elder Fernie Marty said.
“No bodies, no bones of any kind, no human remains, so that’s a good thing. Now to find where the bodies did go to. Where did they go?”
Marty said he still believes there are unmarked graves somewhere in or around Edmonton.
He bases that off of stories he’s heard about people disappearing and accounts from former staff members he’s spoken to directly about things that happened in the hospital.
“A lot of evil stuff went on here. This place, in my opinion, should have been burned to the ground or blown up,” he said.
“You couldn’t give me a place to live here. I wouldn’t live here. Too much horror went on.”
The hospital building is now being converted to condos, owned by local architect Gene Dub.
Dub paid more than $200,000 for the search.
“I think we owe it to those families to search these grounds,” Dub said. “To find, truthfully whether they’re here.”
“His heart is in a good place,” Marty said of Dub, adding plans to add a commemorative stone to the property were appreciated by him and other Elders.
Starting in the 1930s, 31 hospitals were built in Canada with the goal of treating tuberculosis in Indigenous people - but according to the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Columbia, the hospitals were understaffed and used “experimental treatment” on their patients.
A class-action lawsuit brought forth in 2018 alleges patients suffered sexual and physical abuse, including forced sterilization, at these hospitals.
The Indigenous groups involved in the Camsell search said they will continue to seek answers - and possibly search other sites in the Edmonton area.
With files from CTV National News’ Bill Fortier
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.