First Nations Student Deaths Inquest
A joint inquest into the deaths of seven First Nations students is running Thunder Bay, Ont. All of the students died between 2000 and 2011 while attending high school in the city, hundreds of kilometres away from their remote First Nations where access to education is limited.
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'I missed home,' Bluecoat says of his brief time in #tbay . 'I missed my family.' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:26:23 PM
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Lawyer asks if Bluecoat felt prepared academically for highschool in the city. Bluecoat: 'I was ready to learn about everything' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:24:49 PM
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'Sometimes it doesn't work this well,' Bluecoat says. 2/2 #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:23:16 PM
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Over choppy, distorted videoconference, Nishnawbe Aski Nation lawyer asks Bluecoat about internet high school in Fort Severn 1/2 #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:22:34 PM
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Bluecoat says 'the older guy' remained with Kyle when he and Kyle's cousin left Kyle at the river around 9:30 p.m. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:17:57 PM
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Correction: Group drinking at train tracks was Kyle, Bluecoat, Kyle's cousin (all students) and 'an older guy', Bluecoat says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:15:46 PM
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2 days later Bluecoat says he heard Kyle was missing but didn't say anything to anyone b/c 'I wasn't really sure he was missing' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:12:01 PM
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Lawyer asks: when was the last time you saw Kyle? Bluecoat: Just that night were were drinking with him by the train tracks. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:11:00 PM
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Kyle 'looked drunk' after a fight with his female cousin, one of the students in the group that night, Bluecoat says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:09:19 PM
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'We were just socializing,' Bluecoat says. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:04:59 PM
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Bluecoat says he and Kyle and 2 other students went 'by the train tracks' and started drinking whiskey for about 30 minutes #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:03:21 PM
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Aaron says he didn't know Kyle well when he met him outside the intercity mall in #tbay on Oct. 26, 2009 #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 3:01:27 PM
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Bluecoat says he attended grade 9 at Dennis Franklin high school in 2009 but 'got kicked out' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 2:59:03 PM
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Inquest resumes Fri. w/testimony from Aaron Bluecoat, from Fort Severn First Nation. He was a student w/Kyle Morriseau in 2009 #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 2:56:49 PM
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Only witness Friday at #tbinquest , testifying via videoconference from Fort Severn where there's no high speed internet = choppy videoby Jody Porter via twitter 12/11/2015 2:43:28 PM
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Meekis says he would have preferred to be at the inquest in person but had an important meeting in Winnipeg today #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 8:26:26 PM
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Meekis says his experience of the city as a First Nations person is 'they want your money, but they don't necessarily want you' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 8:08:46 PM
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'I cannot do anything about it,' Meekis says.' I cannot build a high school in a community for 15 students' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:55:56 PM
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'You're sending kids out to get an education and they come back in a body bag,' Meekis says. 'It hurts all the time' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:55:07 PM
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'I go hunting, everybody knows,' Meekis says of community of ~300. 'People see you walk into the clinic, everybody knows that.' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:45:37 PM
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Confidentiality for addictions or mental health counselling might be a concern for young people in Keewaywin, Meekis says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:44:17 PM
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Parents 'just can't afford' to move to the city while their teens are attending school there, Meekis says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:41:43 PM
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'It's sort of the same [as residential school] b/c we still have to send our children away to school,' Meekis says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:40:23 PM
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Meekis says some families spend their grocery $ to pay for cell phone for child away at school, little $ for travel to visit #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:38:25 PM
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'It's very difficult to be there and comfort them when they hit the wall of racism ' outside the First Nation, Meekis says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:36:49 PM
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Keewaywin looking at starting Grade 9 program because 'it's very difficult to send your 13/14 year old into the wilds of #tbay ' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:35:09 PM
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The deaths are 'devastating', Meekis says. 'It's a shame for the loss of potential of that person for the whole community' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:33:09 PM
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Meekis says Keewaywin lost 3 high school students in three years. 'Their only purpose was to better themselves + get education' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:30:35 PM
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'You'll be the chief and I'll be the manager,' Meekis says. 'That's how they were talking' before Robyn died in #tbay #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:28:25 PM
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Meekis' daughter friends with Robyn Harper, says the girls wanted to go to high school + come home 'take over' Keewaywin #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:26:43 PM
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'You miss the security that your parents give you,' Meekis says of First Nations students' experiences in the city #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:17:54 PM
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Students in the city are 'walking into something very difficult + expected to learn at the same time,' Meekis says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:13:42 PM
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'We have no choice' but to send kids away for highschool, 'we don't have a high school in Keewaywin, it's not big enough: Meekis #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:11:52 PM
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'Nobody helped us with that situation, with Robyn,' Meekis says. Having a police liaison assigned to Kyle's search was better #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:08:18 PM
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Meekis was chief at Keewaywin when another student, Robyn Harper, died. Noticed a 'real difference', in police response #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:06:14 PM
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'I went in and looked at Kyle and told the father, you know, it's him," Meekis says, his voice breaking #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:02:08 PM
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Meekis went with Kyle's father to identify Kyle's body after it was pulled from the McIntyre River #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 7:01:22 PM
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'We were satisfied with the presence [#tbay police] had, as long as they knew we were doing our search,' Meekis says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 6:54:49 PM
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Keewaywin First Nation paid "all the expenses" for about 10 people from the community to search for Kyle in #tbay , Meekis says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 6:51:39 PM
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Meekis says as soon as community heard Kyle was missing in #tbay , chief + council said 'let's go there, organize a search party' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 6:50:29 PM
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'He seemed to be a straight-forward guy,' Meekis says of Kyle Morrisseau. 'I didn't notice him being around alcohol or drugs' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 6:47:46 PM
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Meekis says he went to high school in Kenora as a teen, after attending residential school as a child #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 6:45:29 PM
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Meekis is a band councillor now + was band manager at Keewaywin in 2009, the year that Kyle Morrisseau died #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 6:43:07 PM
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Back in the courtroom at the #tbinquest . Next witness is Joseph Meekis, testifying via telephone from Winnipegby Jody Porter via twitter 12/10/2015 6:38:00 PM