The Grey Nuns are a Canadian religious institute of Roman Catholic religious sisters, founded in 1737 by Marguerite d'Youville, a young widow. Later, the Grey Nuns were commonly employed within Residential Schools operated by the Catholic Church.

The Lebret (Qu’Appelle, St. Paul’s, Whitecalf) Industrial School, (1884 – 1998) , operated by the Roman Catholic Church (Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Grey Nuns) from 1884 until 1973, was one of the first three industrial schools that opened following the recommendations of the Davin Report, and was fully funded by the government. Lebret school has a long history as one of the first industrial schools to open and the last to close.

In 1930 Dr. A.B Simes was appointed to the Fort Qu'Appelle Indian Health Unit by the Department of Indian Affairs. By the time the Fort Qu'Appelle Indian Hospital opened in 1936, Dr. Simes was Medical Superintendent of the health unit. In 1944, Dr. Simes publishes the “Simes” Report, criticizing the care provided by Elkhorn Residential School and highlighting neglect there. He recommends better medical care and living conditions in the school. In 1948, he is promoted to Medical Supervisor of Indian Health Services for the province of Saskatchewan. Dr. Simes can be seen on the far right in the image of the sod breaking displayed above.