Chanie Wenjack was only 12 years old when he ran away from a residential school near Kenora. Due to the harsh weather and environment, Chanie died from hunger and exposure on October 23, 1966.
His death in 1966 sparked national attention and the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children in Canadian residential schools. He is the inspiration behind the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund.
Learn more about the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, which aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples through programs and events that teach the dark legacy of Residential Schools and share the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Watch the Rogers and OMNI Television Indigenous Interstitial Program:
Watch Chanie’s story:
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