Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 6, 2022, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A6 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMA6 SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2022NEWS I LOCAL / WORLD DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS POLICE SHOOTING PROTEST Ruben Garang of the Council of South Sudanese Community of Manitoba leads protesters Saturday at the Manitoba legislature. About 50 mem- bers of the South Sudanese community and supporters gathered to protest the fatal shooting of Latjor Tuel by Calgary police in February. YVONNE MIRASTY was nine years old when she was taken. “When my mom got home from work, we were gone.” Along with her siblings, Mirasty was placed in the Timber Bay Chil- dren’s Home, which the Northern Can- ada Evangelical Mission and later the Brethren in Christ Church ran between 1952 to 1994. The home in the northern Saskatch- ewan hamlet of Timber Bay near Lac La Ronge, was used for children who at- tended school elsewhere. Most of them were First Nations or Métis. Survivors have described it as a resi- dential school for Indigenous children, even though the federal and provincial governments have not designated it as such. “It wasn’t happy memories at all. I don’t remember anything good out of that place,” says Mirasty, 60, a teacher in Pelican Narrows, Sask. She says children at the Timber Bay home were treated like prisoners, forced to do hard labour, and would get punished if they didn’t memorize Bible passages. Many times, Mirasty says, she went to sleep hungry and had to take cold baths. “I used to cry myself to sleep. I don’t know if I thought my parents were dead. I used to sing all the time to put myself to sleep.” Mirasty says she was abused during the two years she spent at the home. She says a supervisor took her to his office, where he sexually assaulted her. “He’d say, ‘Kiss daddy, kiss daddy.’ I can still hear him to this day.” Mirasty faced the same horrors as many other Indigenous children taken from their homes and forced into gov- ernment-funded institutions, but she’s not entitled to the same compensation from the Canadian government. Nor the recognition. “They say every child matters, but what about Timber Bay? All I want is to be recognized, and hear them say these kids suffered, too.” The federal and Saskatchewan gov- ernments have not recognized the Tim- ber Bay home as a residential school, because it doesn’t fit the legal definition under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. It’s not the only one. Federal government data shows near- ly 9,500 people asked for 1,531 institu- tions to be added to the agreement be- tween 2007 and 2019. Of those, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada have rec- ognized seven. The courts have identi- fied another three. The government’s website says in 2019 there were 140 eligible residential schools as part of the agreement. The Timber Bay home received fed- eral government funding and other ser- vices, but the courts denied its designa- tion as a residential school. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal ruled that children were not placed in the home for the purpose of education and the federal government wasn’t re- sponsible for the residence and care of the children. The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed an appeal of that de- cision. In a statement, the office of Crown- Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said it is committed to working with survivors and families to address historical wrongs. It said there are also outstanding claims regarding Indigen- ous children in educational and care homes not operated by the federal gov- ernment. “Addressing historical claims related to harms committed against Indigen- ous children is a crucial step toward strengthening our relationships with In- digenous Peoples,” the statement said. Litigation against the Saskatchewan government is before the courts, so the province declined to comment. Survivors of Timber Bay and their descendants say they will keep fighting. Dwight Ballantyne, who is from the Montreal Lake Cree Nation, had family who attended the school. He says he feels like he has been silenced by the federal and provincial governments. “There’s a lot of stories that need to be heard. It’s part of who we are as In- digenous people. Growing up, I felt like I was supposed to be quiet and not tell my story,” he says. “A lot of survivors get their stories swept under the rug.” Ballantyne is petitioning the province to have Timber Bay acknowledged as a residential school. “I want to make enough noise to hope- fully get Timber Bay recognized … in hopes that it’ll open the door for the other schools that are not recognized.” In February, the Timber Bay home was discussed at a meeting between Miller, Indigenous leaders and the Fed- eration of Sovereign Indigenous Na- tions, which represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan. “There were many horrific experi- ences within those schools, within those grounds. The children suffered the same abuses, and in some cases even death,” said federation Chief Bobby Cameron. “It should not be shuffled off to the side, forgotten or ignored. Those des- cendants deserve to be compensated, and for those that lost their lives in Tim- ber Bay to be recognized properly.” Saskatchewan RCMP continue to in- vestigate circumstances surrounding a death that may have happened at the Timber Bay home in 1974. Mounties an- nounced the investigation last year. In a recent statement, they said they can’t provide specific details but have been taking statements, following up on tips and reviewing records from the home. Officers have also visited the site. “What we went through mentally, physically, sexually — I don’t know how we survived,” says Mirasty. “Don’t forget about us.” The Indian Residential Schools Reso- lution Health Support Program has a hotline to help residential school surviv- ors and their relatives suffering trauma invoked by the recall of past abuse. The number is 1-866-925-4419. — The Canadian Press Survivor wants children’s home recognized as residential school MICKEY DJURIC Ukraine needs no-fly zone or more planes: Zelenskyy W ASHINGTON — Fighting for his country’s survival, Ukraine’s leader made a “desperate” plea Saturday to American lawmakers for the United States to help get more war- planes to his military and cut off Rus- sian oil imports as Kyiv tries to stave off the Russian invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opened the private video call with U.S. lawmakers by telling them this may be the last time they see him alive. He has remained in Kyiv, the capital, which has a vast Russian armoured column threatening from the north. Appearing in what is now his trade- mark army-green shirt in front of a white wall with the Ukrainian flag, he told them Ukraine needs to secure its skies, either through a no-fly zone en- forced by NATO or through the provi- sion of more warplanes so Ukraine could better defend itself. Zelenskyy has been pleading for a no-fly zone for days, but NATO has refused, saying it could provoke a widespread war with Russia. The hourlong exchange with some 300 members of Congress and their staffs came as Russian troops continued to shell encircled cities and the number of Ukrainians who have fled the country grew to 1.4 million. “President Zelenskyy made a desper- ate plea,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. He said Zelenskyy wants the U.S. to facilitate the transfer of planes from Eastern European allies. “I will do all I can to help the administration to facili- tate their transfer,” Schumer said. The U.S. is considering sending American-made F-16s as backfill to former Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe that are now members of NATO. They, in turn, would send Ukraine their own Soviet-era MiGs, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly. There appears to be a logistical prob- lem, however, in sending the F-16s to Poland or other East European allies because of a production backlog. These countries would essentially have to give their MiGs to the Ukrainians and ac- cept an IOU from the U.S. for the F-16s. The situation is further complicated because the next shipment of F-16s is set for Taiwan, and Congress would be reluctant to delay those deliveries as it eyes China. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated the fighter jets are under con- sideration after meeting with Ukrain- ian Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba at the Poland-Ukraine border outside the town of Korczowa. “We are talking about and working on everything,” Blinken told reporters. Blinken reiterated that the U.S. sup- port for Ukraine “not only has been unprecedented, not only is it going to continue, it’s going to increase.” The U.S. Congress is working on a $10 billion package of military and humani- tarian aid to Ukraine. Schumer told Zelenskyy lawmakers hope to send it quickly to Ukraine, according to a per- son on the call and granted anonymity to discuss it. When Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell asked about the types of military support his country needs, Zelenskyy said drones as well as planes would be the most helpful. During the call, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia asked Zelenskyy about the idea of banning the import of Russian oil to the U.S., according to two other people granted anonymity to discuss the private call. They said Zelenskyy indicated such a ban would be effective in putting pres- sure on Russia. Republicans and a growing number of Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, back the idea of an Russian oil import ban. The Biden administration has so far resisted that step, worried about rising prices at the pump. Zelenskyy urged U.S. lawmakers to sanction Russia’s oil and gas sector, which has so far escaped the mounting sanctions imposed by the Biden admin- istration and other countries. Zelenskyy’s office said he also sug- gested the U.S. consider imposing an embargo on all Russian goods and strip- ping Russia of its most-favored-nation trade status. Lawmakers are concerned that Zel- enskyy will be killed in the Russian invasion. They are also worried that a Ukrainian government under assault will be unable to function and to receive aid. When one lawmaker asked diplomat- ically what would happen if he was killed, Zelenskyy acknowledged the concerns but implored Congress to do whatever it can to help Ukraine fight off Russia’s assault on his country. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said in a state- ment that Zelenskyy’s “message is sim- ple: ‘close the skies or give us planes.’” — The Associated Press LISA MASCARO, MATTHEW LEE AND MARY CLARE JALONICK Six killed as tornado hits Iowa DES MOINES, Iowa — Six people were killed Saturday when a tornado swept through central Iowa, damaging build- ings and knocking down trees and power lines, authorities said. Emergency management officials in Madison County said four were in- jured in addition to those killed when the tornado touched down in the area southwest of Des Moines at about 4:30 p.m. Among those killed were children and adults. Madison County Emergency Man- agement Director Diogenes Ayala said 25 to 30 homes were badly damaged by the tornado. “This is the worst anyone has seen in a very long time,” he said. Officials didn’t identify those killed but said they were not all in the same location. Wendy Burkett told the Des Moines Register she and two of her three daughters were in their house Satur- day afternoon when her husband, Tony, called her from a nearby shed where he was working and alerted her about a tornado warning. Burkett said she came outside and joined him in front of the house, look- ing down their driveway toward the southwest. “And then we saw it. The tornado,” she said. “There was debris flying around and it was getting louder and louder.” They hurried with their daughters to their basement as the tornado roared by within seconds. As they clung to each other, a window shattered out- wards and water began spewing from the pipes, she said. But within about a minute, the torna- do passed by, and while the family was unhurt, their home was in ruins amid debris all around, even in the trees. The U.S. National Weather Service in Des Moines tweeted later Saturday that initial photos and videos from the damage around the community of Win- terset suggested it was at least an EF-3 tornado, capable of causing severe damage, on the Enhanced Fujita scale. It said weather service teams would in- vestigate the damage today and further assess a potential rating. Thunderstorms that spawned torna- does moved through much of Iowa from the afternoon until Saturday night with storms also causing damage in the Des Moines suburb of Norwalk, areas just east of Des Moines and other areas of eastern Iowa. Officials reported a number of homes were damaged, roads were blocked by downed lines and tree branches were shredded by the strong winds. Photos tweeted on social media showed downed trees, debris and damaged roofs and vehicles. At one point, power outages affected about 10,000 in the Des Moines area. — The Associated Press BRYON HOULGRAVE / THE DES MOINES REGISTER / AP A utility worker tends to a downed traffic light in Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday. A_06_Mar-06-22_FP_01.indd 6 2022-03-05 11:21 PM ;