Summary

Hello, my name is Mark Kovatch. This is a request for help in honoring the children of a Residential school gravesite found on our property. I am the fourth owner of this campground that was built by the City of Brandon in the 1960s. It was once part of the estate where the Brandon Residential school was located. Like other similar institutions in colonialized lands across the globe, it was operated by a religious organization and supported by the governments of the day. All these schools shared the common goal of trying to assimilate native populations to the Western way of life. Often by suppressing their cultural traditions. The gravesite holds children who were interred between 1895 and 1912. After that time, residents who passed on while attending the school were buried closer to the main grounds. Located a kilometer away on land that is now under the stewardship of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.

For me, this story begins in 2017, when I applied for zoning permission to expand the campground as a method of financing dike construction. On Average, our property encounters varying levels of flooding every two years. We realized after the record flood of 2011, that the only way to successfully defend the property against mother nature was to build a ring dike around it. After working with local engineers and a renowned architectural firm, we came up with a solution. By expanding the campground and offering long term river and lakefront recreational lots, we could raise the funds needed for the construction of a dike. And create a beautiful world-class tourist destination and event facility capable of hosting a variety of events throughout the year. During the public hearing portion of the development process, the City of Brandon was notified that there may be a burial site on the land. It was eventually revealed that not only did the city build the campground that we now own over top of the graves, but previous municipal administrations had no issue with the process or ignored it all together. By the late 90’s, the property had deteriorated to the point where it needed extensive upgrades. The Council at that time decided to unload the asset rather than incur the cost of repair. When they sold the property in 2002, no caveat was registered with the Land Titles Office notifying prospective buyers of the gravesite’s existence. Using funds given to Sioux Valley Dakota Nation by the Federal government, we invited an archeology firm onto the land in November of 2018 to do an exploratory geophysical study. Their report was released February 1st, 2019, and gave the GPS coordinates for 56 possible burial plots.

I have been trying to properly honor those children ever since. But the process has been delayed by those wishing to use the attention surrounding the gravesite as a platform for their own political and financial agendas. As a result, I am putting out a call for assistance from First Nations artists and educators to assist in the restoration of the burial site. Along with anyone else who would like to help. My hope is to not only commemorate the lives of the children buried there, but to create an ongoing educational opportunity that shows what can happen when one culture claims superiority over another. If that is not something people of First Nations heritage are interested in doing I respect that choice. But I will continue to tell the story of those children and the events surrounding the gravesite so they are not forgotten again.

Mark Kovatch

PROGRESS UPDATES

After I launched the ‘Honor the Children - Gravesite Memorial Project’ the people who were complicit in delaying the cemetery restoration were exposed. By explaining the circumstances of our four year battle and backing it up with facts, I was able to do what many government officials could not. Call out the corruption and misbehavior by a small group within the First Nations Community working on the issues associated with the gravesite on our property.

Thankfully the City of Brandon has now decided to work with me directly in trying to correct some of the mistakes made in the past. On July 18th we entered into a formal agreement whereby the City will provide the Gravesite fencing that I have been requesting for years. It was installed on September 15th and is pictured below.

After so many years, it is a relief to finally have a symbol of respect erected at the gravesite. But there is still work to be done. Following is a list of our priorities.

• Find an archeological firm to assist us in verifying the boundaries of the cemetery and meet the requirements of the Provincially mandated heritage study necessary to complete dike construction. Allowing us to finally provide flood protection to the graves and surrounding area.

• Take advantage of the Federal Government’s verbal offer of financial assistance to the City of Brandon. Thereby allowing us to enter into an agreement with the City that will mitigate the financial costs associated with carrying out further archeological studies.

• Secure the funds to relocate the utilities that were run through the gravesite when the park was originally constructed.

• Find members of the First Nations community willing to step forward and design a fitting monument for the site.

• Donate time and resources to educators that recognize the unique opportunity Turtle Crossing provides. A chance to show our youth an important part of Canadian history.

Thanks for your interest and continued support.

Mark