Plaque remembers Manitoba Developmental Centre residents

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This article was published 23/01/2025 (276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A plaque commemorating the official closure of the Manitoba Developmental Centre was unveiled Thursday at the legislature in front of more than 100 guests, many of whom were former residents.

The plaque notes the institution was open from 1890 to 2024, and home to “many thousands of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other conditions.”

The inscription says that in 2023, the provincial government issued an apology to the Manitobans “who experienced mistreatment as a result of the harmful policies and practices of the government. This memorial is dedicated to all who lived there.”

The plaque will be erected at the cemetery at the Manitoba Developmental Centre site in warmer weather later this year, Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said.

“I’m sorry for the harms you experienced,” the minister responsible for accessibility told the former residents and family members in attendance.

Sean Traverse told the crowd that when he lived at the Portage la Prairie institution from 1992 to 1998, he was assaulted by another resident and that “bad things happened there.”

In August 2023, a court approved a $17-million settlement in a class-action lawsuit that alleged abuse and neglect at the facility. David Weremy, a resident from the 1950s to 1970s, filed the suit, which had about 1,360 class members.

“Now it’s over,” said Weremy, who unveiled the plaque Thursday. “We don’t have to worry no more.”

The last resident moved out of the building in December.

The province initially denied the abuse and neglect allegations in a statement of defence. In June 2023, then-Tory premier Heather Stefanson apologized on the province’s behalf as part of the settlement’s reconciliation initiatives.

“Today marks the end of a difficult chapter in Manitoba’s history and the start of a brighter future for many Manitobans,” interim PC leader Wayne Ewasko said in a statement.

Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza said the site remains a valuable resource for the community. Repurposing the grounds and buildings could help address the many needs of the community and surrounding region, such as education, health care and housing, he said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca