More students may have died at former Yukon residential school than originally thought, committee says

More children may have died at the former Choutla Indian Residential School in Carcross than was previously thought, according to a committee of the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN).

Adeline Webber, who chairs the council's Residential School Burial Sites Committee, said its researcher identified 42 students from the school it hasn't been able to find.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission had identified 20 students that died at the former residential school that was run by the Anglican Church until 1969. The school was demolished in 1993.

Webber, who was updating the council's general assembly in Minto Landing on the committee's work Tuesday, said the committee doesn't know where the students areburied.

"There's very sparse records of that so we don't have that information yet," she said.

The CYFN plans to use ground-penetrating radar later this summer to find any burial sites. It will begin in Carcross and then expand the search, probably next year, in the areas where the three other former residential schools were in the territory Whitehorse, Shingle Point and Dawson City as well as the areas where there were three former hostels.

Need to develop protocols

Judy Gingell, who co-chairs the committee with Webber, said there are members from nine of the 14 Yukon First Nations on the burial sites committee.

She implored the First Nations who don't have a representative on the committee to designate one as well as an alternate.

Gingell said the committee has to develop protocols and policies to make sure ithandles any remains foundwith respect.

"This is why it's important we have your representative because that person will participate in our meetings, give us guidance and direction, and will also take this information back to your community," she said.

She added the committee spoke to Yukon's coronerwho said that ifhuman remains are found, it falls under her office's jurisdiction to identify them.