By Canadian Press

Mohawk Mothers worry evidence of human remains at McGill work site will be destroyed

Oct 2, 2023 | 1:26 PM

MONTREAL — Indigenous women say they are worried potential evidence of human remains at the site of a former Montreal hospital will be destroyed if construction isn’t halted.

The women, who call themselves the Mohawk Mothers, lost their bid for a court order last month to stop excavation on part of the site where McGill University is expanding its downtown campus.

A spokeswoman for the group says workers could destroy evidence because they want to move material – without sifting through it – from an area where sniffer dogs indicated human remains might be found.

Kwetiio, who only identified herself using one name, says observers with her group recently found a child’s shoe on that site and that workers had found bones but did not tell the Mothers.

McGill University says a bio-archeologist believes the bones are not human and that work is being conducted in accordance with an agreement involving the Mothers, Quebec’s infrastructure agency and the university.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Medicine Hat's Adopt-A-Rink program still seeking volunteers

16h ago

HOLIDAYS

Medicine Hat Kiwanis hosting Christmas dinner

Dec 06, 2024

IN THE COMMUNITY

CHAT News producer makes 'emotional' return to Medicine Hat's old arena

Dec 06, 2024

The Mothers say they believe people might have been buried at that site, following interviews with survivors of mind-control experiments that took place in the 1950s and 1960s at a psychiatric institute affiliated with the hospital.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2023. 

The Canadian Press