File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Truth and Reconciliation

Sisters of St. Ann ‘saddened’ by returned donation, pledge to work toward reconciliation

Jun 29, 2022 | 5:32 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Sisters of Saint Ann say they are “saddened” by a decision by an Edmonton-based scholarship foundation to return a $500,000 donation.

The Verna J. Kirkness Education Foundation announced the decision to return the donation earlier this week, using the former Kamloops Indian Residential School as a backdrop. Board Chair Tony C.L. Williams cited the Sisters’ involvement with the school as impetus for returning the donation. Last year, Tk’emlups te Secwepemc confirmed the presence of hundreds of unmarked graves nearby, believed to belong to students who were forced to attend the school.

Wednesday (June 29), Sisters of St. Ann Executive Director Angela Hudson emailed a statement of response to CFJC Today.

In the statement, Hudson says the donation to the foundation was made as part of an effort to improve educational opportunities for Indigenous students.

She adds the $500,000 sum will be redirected to another organization that is working toward reconciliation.

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Read the full statement:

“The Sisters of Saint Ann feel profound sorrow for the legacy of residential schools and are fully committed to playing a positive role in the healing and reconciliation journey. As part of that effort, we partnered with the Verna J. Kirkness Education Foundation on an endowment that would enhance educational opportunities for Indigenous students, giving them the opportunity to study on university campuses and conduct independent research with faculty mentors.

We are saddened at the decision made by the foundation to return our donation and hope that Indigenous students continue to receive these opportunities while the foundation works to address the problem of Indigenous under-representation at Canadian universities. We wish the foundation every success in the future and remain open to working with them.

We understand that truth comes before reconciliation, and in that spirit strive to be as transparent as possible, including our recent commitment to transfer all our residential school records to the Royal B.C. Museum. We welcome open dialogue about the role that the Sisters of Saint Ann played in residential schools, including with partners that we support financially. Reconciliation is achieved by listening and learning with humility, and it is always our preference to engage constructively with our critics, while working together towards common goals.

We will continue to support projects that contribute to reconciliation, healing and Indigenous education. This includes re-directing the returned donation to an organization focused on creating a brighter future for Indigenous peoples in Canada and open to walking a path toward reconciliation with the Sisters of Saint Ann. We look forward to listening to Indigenous voices about how our resources can best be used on the long journey to reconciliation.”