Investigation at Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ont., shifts focus from criminal to coroner probe

“We would like to thank the police taskforce for its assistance over the past year and a half and we look forward to the receipt of their final report," Laura Arnd said.

An Indigenous group involved in efforts to uncover what happened at a former residential school in Ontario said a criminal investigation into unmarked burials and missing children at the institution is winding down, with focus shifting to a coroner-led probe.

“We would like to thank the police taskforce for its assistance over the past year and a half and we look forward to the receipt of their final report, which is anticipated in the fall of 2023,” Laura Arndt, secretariat lead, said in statement.

The Survivor’s Secretariat said the coroner’s investigation will focus on bringing closure to survivors rather than placing the blame on individuals who carried out atrocities at the Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ont.

“This will also allow the opportunity for families of victims to review files relevant to their families,” the statement said.

The results produced by the coroner’s probe will provide more access to data and information which will be uncovered, and they will also be a resource archival researchers and investigators could use.

Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner said it will support the Survivor’s Secretariat efforts to uncover what happened at Mohawk Institute.

“We will work closely with the community to determine the next steps forward and share our findings along the way,” said Dirk Huyer, Ontario’s Chief Coroner.

Ontario Provincial Police said their officers were still working on the case.