Opened in 1976 on Cristal Lake in a remote part of Northwestern Ontario, Cristal Lake school operated exclusively as a girls’ school. In 1986 the Cristal Lake girls’ school merged with the Stirland Lake boys’ school, run by the same organization, the Northern Youth Programs Inc. Following the merger the Cristal Lake facility was closed, and the entire operation was moved to Stirland Lake which became co-educational. Shortly after the two schools merged, Stirland Lake school experienced a protest when students complained about the restrictive conditions at the school.
