By Melissa Yue
Anglican churches in Centretown are not concerned about the first $80,000 residential schools payment due March 1, but they expect to find out how they will help raise future monies soon.
Michael Iveson, treasurer for the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, says a group of church members met Feb. 19 to discuss the best option of how the diocese will pay $1.6 million from 2003 to 2007.
That’s part of a $25-million claims settlement between the church and Canadian natives over abuse in residential schools.
Options include the sale of church buildings, having fundraising events, a direct assessment to every church, borrowing money or an appeal for open contributions from the diocese’s 35,000 members.
The group will then present its decision to the bishop and executive committee and, if approved, a Settlement Fund Commission will be established to inform churches of their next step.
“Until we get this commission set up and running, we will have to borrow some of our funds from the diocesan trust,” says Iveson. He said the first quarterly installment would most likely be paid using this method.
“It takes time for things to evolve and come into place,” says Roger Steinke, a priest at St. Mark’s.
“I was named chair of a commission that doesn’t exist yet. We’re just working at deciding who’s going to be on the commission, how many people, and the terms of reference.”
Representatives of Centretown churches such as St. John’s, Christ Church Cathedral, and St. George’s say that that although they didn’t know how the money would be raised, they had confidence in the guidance of the diocese.
“I think the process will be quite fast in deciding how funds will be raised,” says Bill Fairlie, a priest at Christ Church Cathedral. “We don’t think it’s going to be a tremendous problem because there are people who want to get the issue put behind them. I think someone said that if everyone gave $30 a year, that would do it.”
Between 1820 and 1969, the Anglican Church operated 26 residential schools on behalf of the government. The schools were meant to assimilate aboriginal peoples into Canadian culture.
Many students were forbidden to speak their mother tongue and some were sexually and physically abused, according to the church’s Web site.
The Anglican Church of Canada agreed to the government’s offer of $25 million to settle validated claims in the hopes it will eliminate contempt some students feel for the church.
“The positive thing about all this is after we raise the money and it goes to the validated cases, the rest of it will go towards healing and reconciliation — which is our mission — instead of litigation,” said Steinke.