It is official, Kristin Kozar is the Executive Director of Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre. Her appointment is official as of October 18, 2023. Kozar’s affirmed position with the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre is a welcomed and celebrated announcement.
“On behalf of the staff and partners of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, I am delighted to see Kristin Kozar officially take on the role of Executive Director,” says Dr. Tricia Logan, Academic Director, Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.
Kozar has been the interim Executive Director since 2022. In her leadership she has expanded the team while building transparency into the work of the Centre. She is working collaboratively with senior staff and managers to establish a robust strategic plan for the Centre. The Centre’s work, going forward, will be grounded in Coast Salish traditional protocols and Indigenous ways of knowing.
“Kristin carries with her, teachings and community-based knowledges that guide the work and strengthen her resolve when she advocates definitively for Indigenous rights, especially for rights to information and data sovereignty,” says Dr. Logan.
Kozar is deeply committed to being in service to Survivors, intergenerational Survivors and all Indigenous Peoples. Her work directly advocates for Indigenous communities right to data sovereignty and is reflected by her strengthening collaborations and partnerships between Indigenous communities across British Columbia and the Centre. Kozar’s vision is to ensure that Survivors and their families have greater access to records, which includes walking alongside communities in their healing journey and determination to share their truth, as well as to establish and manage their own records.
“Kristin works and leads with care and with a respectful dedication to supporting Residential School Survivors and intergenerational Survivors,” says Dr. Logan.
“I am extremely grateful to Kristin for her thoughtful leadership since becoming interim Executive Director in 2022, and am thrilled that with this appointment she will continue to advance the invaluable work of the Centre,” says Dr. Gage Averill UBC Vancouver’s Provost and Vice-President, Academic
Kozar has answered the calls of Survivors by initiating the Oral Testimony Program where Survivors can share their truth, histories, and testimonies about their experience with Residential Schools. She has also partnered with Amber Kostuchenko, Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre on the research project, Mistreated: The legacy of Indian hospitals in BC and Alberta.
Kozar has substantial professional experience in the corporate world through her previous work as a regional district manager, as well as academic experience as a professor at the UBC iSchool. A proud member of the Hwlitsum First Nation, Kozar brings a wealth of traditional knowledge with her that grounds the work the staff at Centre does with Indigenous communities and in their day-to-day responsibilities.
“Kristin is an exceptional mentor and colleague, who leads through partnership, to ‘walk alongside’ team members with integrity and transparency, demonstrating how lateral kindness can support transformative change,” says Dr. Logan.
Our hearts are with all those affected by these institutions, and with the First Nations impacted by this news. Read Cara McKenna’s coverage of this announcement for Indiginews.
The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) is opening its doors to the UBC Vancouver community to highlight its important role on campus. Ahead of the first Open House on April 15, we spoke with Executive Director, Kristin Kozar about how the IRSHDC staff support Residential School Survivors and her plans to expand the centre’s role in supporting teaching and learning at UBC.
What is the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) and what is its role on campus?
The IRSHDC is a shared space that encourages dialogue about the Residential School system and the on-going impacts of colonialism in Canada.
The IRSHDC supports Residential School Survivors, intergenerational Survivors and their families in accessing and researching Residential School records. It also facilitates research within communities on these issues.
The centre supports teaching and learning for the wider UBC community by hosting various film screenings and exhibitions about Canada’s colonial history and the ongoing impacts of the Indian Residential School system. For example, in fall of this year, the IRSHDC will host an exhibition called: Our Future, Our Children: The Indian Child Caravan 40 years later. This exhibition will educate visitors about the march and demonstration in Vancouver on Thanksgiving weekend 1980 in opposition to the disproportionate number of Indigenous children being apprehended from the Splatsin community. It charts the story of the Splatsin community which were the first to implement a band by-law regarding child welfare.
The centre also hosts a range of programming such as the annual Intergenerational March to commemorate Orange Shirt day on September 30.
The general public are also welcome at the centre, where they can view records on the Residential School system and learn about truth and reconciliation. Our gallery space, has an interactive touchscreen wall that provides information on different Residential Schools throughout BC, plus events and documents related to the Residential School system. We also have an intergenerational corner where families of all ages can learn about Residential Schools and other colonial policies through age appropriate books.
How does the IRSHDC contribute to making UBC a leading university globally in the implementation of Indigenous peoples’ human rights?
Indigenous rights remain central to the work of the IRSHDC and we embody the work of the UBC Indigenous Strategic Plan.
The advocacy and activism of Residential School Survivors resulted in the 2015 Truth and Reconcilliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action. The role of the IRSHDC, in this post-TRC era is to host research, education, programming and space for dialogue on what reconciliation means. Through our services, we explore how changes to government policies related to many segments of Canadian society are inherently connected to the truths of Residential School Survivors and how broad reaching the intergenerational effects have become.
Our work directly contributes to a number of goals stated in UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan.
In alignment with goal 2, we actively advocate for the truth by helping Survivors access their records. We also facilitate open dialogue through events, exhibits and our library and archive collections. Goal 3 – moving research forward – is reflected in our Oral Testimony Program which centres Indigenous communities and is led by their goals, initiatives and protocols.
Indigenizing the curriculum (goal 4) is part of our remit. I teach Information Practice and Protocol in Support of Indigenous Initiatives in the School of Information. My colleague Tricia Logan teaches two courses in the First Nations and Indigenous Studies curriculum, examining access to records in the Indigenous communities, and Structures of Settler Colonialism. Our aim is to help students question the neutrality of existing data and the importance of Indigenous ways of data collection and sharing.
In keeping with goal 5 – enriching our spaces – the IRSHDC was designed by the first Indigenous graduate of UBC’s architecture program. Featuring several symbolic architectural elements, it reflects the diversity of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and provides a thought-provoking space for events on the Vancouver campus.
We are actively working to recruit more Indigenous staff (as stipulated by goal 6) and, at all times, we endeavor to create a holistic system of support for Indigenous faculty, staff, students and wider community (goal 8).
In conversations with your staff, what have they highlighted as some of the IRSHDC’s most impactful achievements?
Our staff value the work they do in helping support community research, outreach and Survivor requests for records and information. They are particularly proud of the development of the Oral Testimony Program at the Centre which has supported both recordings of testimonies as well as important dialogues on consent, access and the ethics of respectful engagement.
A lot of work has gone into building trust and safe spaces for dialogue. It has been gradual and our staff recognize that it’s of great importance to all the work the Centre does. We have worked hard at building partnerships and working alongside communities that are conducting their own research for Residential School Survivors regarding missing children.
How does the IRSHDC support Indigenous students, faculty and staff at UBC?
Research support is available for a wide range of topics, including recording oral testimonies. We work in partnership with the Indian Residential School Survivor Society to provide health and cultural support and are looking into other offerings. We are also expanding how we provide talks and educational support. You can find out more about this at our Open House event on April 15.
What is your personal vision for the IRSHDC during your tenure as Executive Director?
I want to lead the centre according to the Indigenous ways of knowing protocol which is founded on the ancestral relationship Indigenous Peoples have with their surroundings.
I want to be in service to and for Indigenous communities. I want to bring more awareness when we are talking about Indigenous Data Sovereignty which is about the inherent rights of putting Residential School records back into the community to help find the missing children who did not make it home.
I also want to collaborate with Indigenous communities, including here at UBC. I will build and solidify relationships with the other Indigenous units on campus by nurturing, building and collaborating so we can grow from there and walk shoulder to shoulder moving forward.
How can faculty and staff learn more about the IRSHDC?
Faculty and Staff can visit our Open House on April 15, 2pm-5pm to meet me and our dedicated staff to learn about the centre, our exhibitions and our ongoing research. Our latest research is examining Indian Hospitals and the impacts that the facilities had on Indigenous people. The research will be presented in a future exhibition chronicloing the history of these hospitals and the ongoing impacts, while centering the experinces of Survivors. We would be more than happy to discuss opportunities for collaboration.
We encourage Indigenous groups, units, departments, and organizations to book guided tours of the Centre.
On behalf of the leadership at the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, we would like to invite you to our Open House on April 15, 2pm-5pm. Over light snacks and refreshments, Kristin Kozar, Executive Director of the IRSHDC, will be speaking about the Centre, our programs, research initiatives and answering questions related to the work we do at the Centre.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre!
The Centre is excited to announce that visitors can now take a self-guided tour of our space. These tours will allow you to learn about the building itself as well as the tools and resources in our gallery space.
The manual will walk you from the entrance of our building down into the gallery, providing information on the intentional architecture of the space as you go. When you enter the gallery, you will be given an introduction to our Interactive Wall, the Intergenerational Corner, and more.
We look forward to welcoming you at the Centre for your self-guided tour!
January 25, 2024, The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (the Centre) shares in deep sadness about the disclosure of a communal grave at the former site of the Sacred Heart Residential School in Blue Quills First Nation.
On January 24, Leah Redcrow, CEO of Acimowin Opaspiw Society along with leaders from Saddle Lake Cree Nation and archeologists and geologists announced confirmation of child skeletal remains at the former Residential School, in Alberta.
The Centre supports Blue Quills First Nation their members, community, Survivors of the Sacred Heart Residential School and their family members in identifying and returning those who did not make it home back to their families.
“When I use the terminology, “Mass grave”, I refer to one large communal pit with multiple bodies inside of it, that have been determined to be former students of the Sacred Heart (Blue Quills) Indian Residential School,” wrote Redcrow in a press release.
At the press conference, Redcrow shared they plan to identify and return the found skeletal remains to their family members and requested the help of the RCMP and Alberta Chief Medical officer. However, they have had little support from either according to APTN.
Repeated accidental findings have happened over the years due to the communal grave being close to the community’s cemetery. All findings have been prayed over with tobacco and reburied.
“Acimowin Opaspiw Society is holding engagement meetings for descendants of Blue Quills survivors throughout the province in February and March. They said they hope to hear stories from family members of survivors who attended the school between 1898 and 1931 to uncover more information ahead of the excavation,” according to a CBC Indigenous article.
Research and investigation at the site of the former Residential School have been underway since 2020 after an accidental finding in 2004 by Jason Whiskeyjack, an Acimowin Opaspiw Society board member.
The Centre wishes to acknowledge the impacts that ongoing searches have on all Indigenous peoples and communities, and to encourage Survivors and community members to seek the care they need through this challenging time. The Indian Residential School Survivor Support Society has established a 24-hour Crisis Line for former students and their families:1-866-925-4419. Find additional wellness resources and supports.
IRSHDC would like to congratulate the honourable Steven Point on his appointment to the Order of Canada.
Steven Point is a member of the Skowkale First Nation. He is UBC’s current Chancellor. Chancellor Point is the current chair of the Indigenous Advisory Committee, which guides the IRSHDC and ensures that our work is led by Residential School Survivors and their families.
Officers of the Order of Canada are recognized for their outstanding achievements, community commitments, and impact on the nation as a whole.
Canadian Governor General Mary Simon announced the appointees on December 28, 2023. The announcement credits Chancellor Point’s appointment as officer to, “his dedicated commitment to reconciliation and esteemed leadership throughout his trailblazing career as a chief, judge and academic, and as the first Indigenous lieutenant governor of British Columbia.”
In addition to his role as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of BC, Chancellor Point’s career has included practicing as a lawyer, working at the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs and in the Department of Employment & Immigration, serving as a provincial court judge and the Chief Commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission.
He is a recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals, the Order of BC, the Joseph H. Cohen Award from the Justice Institute of British Columbia Foundation, and the Order of Chilliwack. He has also received honorary degrees from UBC and the University of Victoria, and has honorary Doctorate of
Laws degrees from the University of the Fraser Valley and Capilano University.
Congratulations to Chancellor Point – we are grateful for his dedication, wisdom, and commitment and honoured to have his guidance as part of our Indigenous Advisory Committee.
Tricia Logan, the Interim Academic Director at the Centre, addresses the crucial significance of both the immediate local and global response to Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc’s announcement on May 27. She emphasizes the indispensable role of annual reflection in fostering widespread awareness about residential schools and illuminating Canada’s complex relationship with colonialism.
The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC (the Centre) shares in deep sadness with all impacted by the announcement from Tseshaht First Nation regarding the location of 17 potential unmarked graves at the site of the former Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS), and the research findings that identified at least 67 deaths at the school.
We offer our sincere condolences and support to Chief Councilor waamiiš (Ken Watts) and members of the Tseshaht First Nation, members of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council (NTC), former students of the school and their families, and the approximately 100 home communities from which children were taken to attend the school. We stand in support of all who lost loved ones, and honour the children who never returned home. And we walk alongside the Tseshaht Nation as it continues its investigations.
The research findings are yet another reminder that the wounds created by former residential schools are ever present and reopened with each uncovering of devastating truths. With this in mind, the Centre echoes NTC President Judith Sayers in her call to all Canadians to “stand with us and condemn the practice of genocide, racism, discrimination and hatred and ensure these incredible wrongs can be addressed to the satisfaction of our people.”
The Centre wishes to acknowledge the impacts that ongoing searches have on all Indigenous peoples and communities, and to encourage Survivors and community members to seek the care they need through this challenging time. The Indian Residential School Survivor Support Society has established a 24-hour Crisis Line for former students and their families: 1-866-925-4419. Find additional wellness resources and supports.
Presenting at the fourth National Gathering on Unmarked Burials, the Centre’s Interim Executive Director Kristin Kozar states that colonial frameworks and policies related to Indigenous data governance need to be changed.
Need support? The Indian Residential School Survivor Support Society has established a 24-hour Crisis Line for former students and their families. Call: 1-866-925-4419. Find additional wellness resources and supports.
