The column appeared just four days after the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. The Southern Chiefs’ Organization, which represents 33 Anishinaabe and Dakota First Nations in Manitoba, issued a formal condemnation and warned that the newspaper’s CEO, Kevin Klein, was also a mayoral candidate.

Kevin Klein, one of twelve candidates for Winnipeg mayor, later apologized. He said he was not involved in editorial decisions, would not have approved the piece, and that the mistake was made by others at the paper.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has recorded at least 4,200 Indigenous child deaths over 165 years of residential schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has classified those deaths and the broader abuses as cultural genocide.

Grand Chief Jerry Daniels of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization said survivors should not have to prove what happened and reminded the public that thousands of children died while being removed from families, stripped of language and culture, and subjected to abuse. He called the column’s claims “not allegations or political talking points, but part of Canada’s documented historical record.”

Other leaders, including mayoral candidates Noah Redden and Scott Gillingham, also criticised the column, describing residential‑school denialism as inflammatory and stressing the lasting impact of the schools on Indigenous communities.

The episode demonstrates how a single newspaper story can trigger widespread criticism, raise questions about a political candidate’s judgment, and underline the importance of accurate storytelling in the process of reconciliation.