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CA-K175Indigenous peoples & reconciliation

Chanie Wenjack (1954–1966)

Kenora, Ontario, on Lake of the Woods, from the air in 2026; the photo does not show the former school.
Kenora, Ontario, on Lake of the Woods, from the air in 2026; the photo does not show the former school. Kenora, Ontario · Quintin Soloviev · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY 4.0. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.
Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

No recorded challenge is not proof of accuracy. A challenge under review is not a finding that the item is false.

Chanie Wenjack was an Anishinaabe boy from Marten Falls First Nation who lived for three years at Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ontario, and died after escaping. His story represents thousands of children driven by loneliness, abuse and desperation to run away from residential schools, and was amplified at the time by official procedures and national news coverage.

Scope & context

Chanie Wenjack’s life and death as recognized in his designation, not the full history of residential schools (see CA-K029).

Sources behind this record

1
Chanie Wenjack (1954-1966) National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada

Historical importance; plaque text