AI reads centuries-old handwriting to reveal Britain’s vast historic shipping trade

In his Montauk talk, Linford Fisher reported scholarly estimates that as many as 6 million Indigenous people were enslaved across the hemisphere (1492–1880s), with roughly 600,000 in North America, and described archival methods used to reach those figures.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2017 that approximately 38,000 residential school testimony records collected through the Independent Assessment Process (IAP) will be destroyed in 2027, unless individual survivors request their records be preserved. This decision has sparked significant concern among survivors and advocates, as many feel the records represent an important part of Canadian history and should be preserved for future generations. Geraldine Shingoose, a Saulteaux elder who attended Muskowekwan Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan from 1962 to 1971, shared her personal experience of testifying about abuse she suffered at the school. She described the traumatic process of disclosing her experiences during IAP hearings, which led to a physical health crisis. Shingoose emphasized that learning her testimony could be destroyed felt like 'erasure' and that 'my story doesn't mean anything' to Canada. The Supreme Court's ruling acknowledged the conflict between preserving historical records and maintaining the confidentiality promised to survivors during the IAP process. The court stated that the records were collected as part of a confidential process, and claimants and alleged perpetrators relied on this confidentiality assurance. While some survivors, like former Assembly of First Nations chief Phil Fontaine, have requested their records be destroyed to protect their privacy, others argue that preserving the records is crucial for historical accuracy and to counter rising denialism about residential school abuses. According to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, fewer than 100 of the approximately 38,000 IAP claimants have retrieved their records to date. Investigative journalist Connie Walker, who leads the Indian Residential School Records Project at Toronto Metropolitan University, expressed concern that many survivors remain unaware of the impending destruction of their testimonies or the option to preserve them. She emphasized that survivor testimony is vital for countering denialism and preserving historical truth. The IAP was designed primarily to compensate survivors, unlike the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which collected testimony for public education and healing. IAP adjudicators, such as Daniel Ish and Kathleen Keating, stressed that confidentiality was fundamental to the process, and changing these terms after testimony could constitute a 'gross breach of trust.' The article highlights the ongoing tension between respecting survivor privacy and preserving historical records, with many survivors feeling their stories are being erased once again.

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Documents from the 1960s reveal that Hydro-Québec actively resisted sharing certain records with the Newfoundland government. The documents, uncovered decades later, suggest the utility company took deliberate steps to limit Newfoundland officials’ access to information that could have influenced negotiations or regulatory oversight at the time. While the full scope of the withheld records is not yet clear, experts indicate the withheld information may relate to key operational and financial decisions. This revelation has raised concerns about transparency and accountability in interprovincial dealings. Historians note that the 1960s were a critical period for Hydro-Québec’s expansion, including major hydroelectric projects that required extensive collaboration with neighbouring provinces. The discovery also underscores the challenges of accessing historical government records, as some documents may remain restricted or partially redacted. Officials from both provinces have not commented extensively, but the findings are likely to prompt renewed discussions on how historical energy projects were managed and the need for open record-keeping practices moving forward.

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