Mohawk Mothers wants work slowed at site of old hospital

The Mohawk Mothers, an Indigenous group keeping an eye on construction at Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital feel like they're being left out of the loop as work continues on top of what they suspect could be a grave site.

"It seems like every step of the way, we are being blocked," said Kwetiio, one of the mothers.

She said neither McGill University, where the hospital is located, nor the province of Quebec is acting in good faith.

The Mohawk Mothers believe there could be human remains at the site of the old Royal Victoria Hospital that were left there from the infamous CIA-backed MK Ultra mind control program that started in the 1950s.

The site is being excavated by McGill for a campus expansion.

The mothers reached an agreement with Quebec and McGill to monitor the work, but Kwetiio said some of the work is happening without them.

"McGill and SQI [Societe quebecoise des infrastructures] notified the Kahnistensera [mothers] that they wouldn't be conducting any construction work or excavation that Monday and Tuesday," said Rajendra Kapila Basdeo, who supports the mothers.

Basdeo visited the site on Tuesday and saw workers removing a pile of earth.

"They moved it without any sort of supervision from the cultural monitors," said Kwetiio.

She wants earth from the site to be sifted before it goes anywhere.

In June, sniffer dogs searched the site and signalled possible remains.

"This is really a hot zone right here because that's where the dogs detected something," she added.

No evidence of remains has been found.

CTV News reached out to McGill and the SQI.

"This location does not constitute a suitable and safe place to sift such a large quantity of soil," the SQI responded in a statement. "The mounds of earth moved were done at the request of archaeologists."

The mothers want work to slow down.

"We haven't been able to do a full investigation," said Kwetiio. "People need closure. The only way we're going to get that is if everything is disclosed here."