This week Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation with technical support from Saskatchewan Polytechnic, is conducting Ground Penetrating Radar in Sturgeon Landing. It was the home of a residential school, and the goal is to identify unmarked graves.

The Sturgeon Landing Residential School, run by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Saint Hyacinthe, began operations in 1926, officially opening in 1927. Sturgeon Landing is one of PBCN’s northeastern communities located near The Pas, Manitoba.

In a news release PBCN Vice Chief Justin Halcrow said, “Sturgeon Landing holds deep scars for our community.” He says many of their children were taken from their families, culture, and identities at that location.

The associate vice-president, Applied Research and Innovation at Sask Polytech, Dr. Susan Blum, said their team is honoured to be entrusted with this work.

“We are privileged to share our technical expertise, equipment and experience to collaborate with community partners on important applied research projects like this.”

The team plans to work from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily starting Monday going through till Friday. It’s expected more work using ground penetrating radar will take place in 2025 because it is a large site that has complex geological land conditions.