Parks Canada to install plaque at Old Government House site about residential school history
The Town of Battleford council has given its consent to a request from Parks Canada to have a plaque installed at the site of the former Old Government House, south of Battleford, to identify it as the former site of the Battleford Industrial School, a residential school that operated from 1883-1914.
“At the site right now, there are storyboards that explain the history of the building and the site,” Mayor Ames Leslie said following Monday’s council meeting, adding that Parks Canada came to the realization that there was no mention of the residential school in their storyboards on the building.
“They have reached out to the Town of Battleford since we own the property, [asking] if we would be willing to work with them to add a storyboard talking about that the site was also a residential school.”
Parks Canada will cover the cost of installing the plaque and Leslie believes the initiative is important to document the history of the Battleford Residential School.