mattersofthemoment

Back in 2013, Almonte historian, former high school teacher and football coach Terrence Currie gave a series of lectures on the history of the Ottawa Valley. These were extremely popular and well attended at the Galilee Centre in Arnprior. I had become good friends with Terry thru playing golf and had invited him to speak. The following series of postings is from the notes I made at that time.

The Ancient History

During the Ice Age which started 2.6 million years ago, a 3 to 4 km thick sheet of ice covered Arnprior. As this cap receded all the soil and surface rock was scraped away exposing rock that is some 200-300 million years old. The Ottawa River became the biggest river in the world for a few hundred years as it carried the melt away. Arnprior was under the salt water Champlain Sea with beluga whales.

When the waters receded, a type of marble was exposed. Arnprior marble known as some of the best in the world, was subsequently used on the pillars of the East Block building on Parliament Hill. It’s also used around the doors and windows of the Bank of Nova Scotia building and the Daniel McLauhlin House and elsewhere in town. There were several local quarries and you can still walk on surface exposed Arnprior marble not far from our home. For its extensive history click here.

During the 18th and 19th centuries the sky’s around Arnprior would be seasonably darkened by large flocks of migrating Passenger pigeons. The most abundant bird species on Earth, billions thrived in Eastern Ontario. One flock, described as 1 mile wide and 300 miles long, took 14 hours to pass overhead! Many fed on plentiful beech tree nuts south of Smiths Falls. Sadly these birds became extinct after many years of commercialized over hunting as cheap food.

Terry our narrator here, passed away a few years back, here is his obituary. This series be continued.

In this 2026 book Phyllis Webstad, a Canadian Residential School survivor is saying subtly: You, Canada tried to wipe us out but it didn’t work – we are still here.

She does not focus on the abuse that took place in these schools, but rather reminds us of the fact that separating an indigenous child from the love of their family, is the primary cause of today’s pain.

The purpose of Canada’s Residential Schools program was to assimilate First Nations, Inuit and Métis people into Canadian society so that they would no longer be dependent on the rest of society. Initially attendance was voluntary but this soon was made mandatory.

140 such schools were placed into operation by the Federal Government over the years 1828 – 1997. About 150,000 indigenous children between the ages of 6 and 16 were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to live in a residential school. Their parents were fined or jailed – yes jailed! – if they failed to comply and send their children. There are about 20,000 living survivors today.

Churches operated these schools as a means of spreading the gospel by forcibly evangelizing these children. Hence they were complicit in the master social plan. Phyllis was a third generation attendee as both her mother and grandmother attended The St. Joseph’s Mission School for 10 years each. Separating children from the love of their families has resulted in generations of damaged adults who were not capable of caring for their children.

When she was 6, she attended the St. Joseph’s Mission School near Williams Lake B.C. but only for one year before it was closed. She lived in the school dorm and was bussed daily to a nearby public school. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate operated St. Joseph’s from 1891 to 1981.

At a public event in Williams Lake in 2013, Phyllis told the story of how on her very first day of school she was stripped of her clothes including a shiny new orange shirt that her grandmother had bought her. It was never returned. She would cry herself to sleep thinking that she did not matter. When she told the story like this it went viral!

As to the issue of why no digging at suspected gravesites has taken place yet at Kamloops and elsewhere, she says that they are still in mourning for these missing children and need more time.

Phyllis wants the truth to come out so that Reconciliation can proceed. If you want to get involved, she advises to pick one of the TRCs 94 Calls to Action and champion it.

This was a colossal human social policy failure that darkens Canada’s past. Even though our generation was not there, it was our government and churches who were. We simply must and do accept responsibility for this. However in any family estrangement situation, reconciliation requires mutual forgiveness in order to permanently succeed.

However, forgiveness cannot meaningfully be demanded of someone who has suffered a wrong. Nor does forgiveness absolve the wrongdoer of responsibility. The party that caused harm must take responsibility, while the party that suffered harm must remain free to determine their own path towards healing and forgiveness.

Overall a great read that made me think about our indigenous brethren with more sympathy, understanding and patience.