Seven Native youth have died while at off-reserve school

Monday, May 16, 2011  

Thunder Bay, Ontario, Mayor Keith Hobbs is calling for a public inquiry into the deaths of seven Native youth over the last 10 years.

Six boys and one girl have died while attending schools in Thunder Bay. Many Native youth are sent there because their reserves lack educational options.

“Seven dead is ridiculous,” Hobbs told The Toronto Star. “It is bizarre to have that many kids gone.”

The latest incident involved Jordan Wabasse, a 15-year-old from the Webequie First Nation. He arrived in Thunder Bay on February 7 and disappeared until his body was found in the Kaministiquia River last Tuesday.

Get the Story:
Cries for inquiry into native teens’ deaths grow louder (The Toronto Star 5/13)