Oxford Honours Residential School Victim with Memorial

Friday, 12 September 2025 10:23

The memorial will be on display in the main lobby of the Oxford County Administration Building until October 6th.

WOODSTOCK - A new memorial is on display at the Oxford County Administration Building, ahead of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation later this month.

It's called The Long Road Back: Bringing Percy Home, and you can find it in the main lobby until October 6th.

It details the story of Percy Onabigon, a member of Long Lake #58 First Nation in northern Ontario who was taken from his family when he was eight years old and sent to a residential school in Thunder Bay. He had epilepsy and partial paralysis, so he was taken to multiple hospitals over the years for treatment before he eventually died from tuberculosis at the Oxford Regional Centre in 1966.

He was 27 years old and buried in a small marked grave in St. Mary's Cemetery. His niece, Claire Onabigon, says plans are in place to move his remains to the same cemetery where his sisters are buried at Long Lake #58 First Nation.

"It has been a long road home, for sure, for Percy. We met with the chief coroner, forensic pathologist and forensic anthropologist this week, and can now make final arrangements. This (display) means so much to us and is very much appreciated. Thank you, Oxford County, for taking these steps toward reconciliation. Chi milgwetch."

Warden Marcus Ryan says Percy's story shows Oxford's connection to a dark side of Canada's history.

"I think it’s very easy in Oxford to think that First Nations issues and the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Report are not particularly relevant in Oxford because there was never a residential school here. Percy Onabigon’s story shows that the history of residential schools and institutionalization is not distant. It happened here, in our own communities. This display honours Percy’s life while also challenging us to confront difficult truths. Without understanding those truths, we cannot move on to meaningful reconciliation. Oxford County residents can be proud of the constructive role we have played in Percy’s story."