Many thanks to the people of Sioux Lookout for this careful honouring of the children who never came home.
Living Into Right Relations, the national newsletter, carried this article in September 2026:
Photo by Joan Cosco, with thanks.
St. Andrew’s United Church, Sioux Lookout, Ontario collaborated with local Indigenous organizations and the municipality to develop a permanent site for remembering and honouring individuals, who died and were buried at or near residential institutions. On June 24, 2026 the former Memorial Site was blessed and closed in ceremony and the new Memorial Site on the shores of Pelican Lake was dedicated.
The gathering was opened with a pipe ceremony and drum songs by elder Tom Chisel and Dieter Sainniwap. The children’s shoes and memorabilia remaining were blessed and gathered in a blanket. Several people recalled the original event in 2021. A member of St. Andrew’s United Church spoke of the role of the churches in running residential institutions, the request for apologies, and the ongoing need for reconciliation work.
At the closing of this part of the day, the shoe bundle was transported to the new site. It was humbling to see a heart shaped mark of bare grass where the shoes had sat over the last few months. Most of the people at this ceremony walked in procession to the new site, which is close to Pelican Lake. The new memorial features a display board which describes the original memorial and the partners who created the new one. Attendees, beginning with survivors and their family members, added to the plantings. In the future, bronze plaques to honour local healing and reconciliation leaders and a wood sculpture will be added to the site.
