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The University of British Columbia
Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre
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  • The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC

    Photo by Andrew Latreille

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The Catholic Church and Indian Residential School Survivors

With the visit of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit delegations to the Vatican, the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre has published an online exhibition about the Catholic Church and the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (2006). The exhibition includes previously unavailable files from the 2015 court case, Fontaine v Saskatchewan (Attorney General), in which the Canadian courts released the Catholic Entities from their obligations to Survivors. The exhibition features a background note from the Centre’s Academic Director, Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond (Aki-Kwe); timelines of the Settlement Agreement and the 2015 Court Case; and court files from the court case.

Explore the Exhibition

Image credit: [Untitled] by George Wylesol (2021). Source: The Globe and Mail. Used with permission of artist.

Latest News

  • Statement Regarding the Tseshaht First Nation Research Findings at the Site of the Former Alberni Residential SchoolFebruary 23, 2023
    February 22, 2023  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 […]
  • Indigenous data sovereignty concerns raised as harm from residential schools continuesFebruary 7, 2023
    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.
  • Statement regarding the location of plausible burials at the former St. Mary’s Indian Residential SchoolJanuary 18, 2023
    January 17, 2023 It is with heavy hearts that the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre releases a second statement today, less than a week after the previous one, regarding the location of unmarked burials at a former Indian residential school. Today, we are deeply saddened by the announcement […]
  • Statement regarding the discovery of human remains at the former Lebret Industrial SchoolJanuary 13, 2023
    January 13, 2023 The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre is deeply saddened by the announcement yesterday, by the Star Blanket Cree Nation, of the location of a child’s remains and 2,000 hits by ground penetrating radar at the former Lebret Industrial School in Saskatchewan. We send our sincere […]
  • Dr. Tricia Logan steps into the role of interim Academic Director with the CentreNovember 29, 2022
    The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre is pleased to announce Dr. Tricia Logan as the interim Academic Director, a role she stepped into this fall. Dr. Logan, a Métis scholar, is cross-appointed with the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Since 2019, she has been part of […]


The records offer diverse perspectives (former students, officials, journalists, scholars) and include Survivor testimonies, Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, photographs, maps, government documents, church documents, and newspaper articles.

Responding to Survivors’ desire to have a single point of access to residential school records, the Centre provides access to an online database containing digital copies of records from partner organizations. This single access point brings together records that are otherwise dispersed online and in physical spaces.

Explore the Collections

The Centre is located on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam people). We are privileged to work with the Musqueam First Nation and the Musqueam Archives as community partners.

Learn more

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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.

Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre
1985 Learners' Walk
Vancouver, BC CA V6T 1Z1
Tel 604 822 6941
Website irshdc.ubc.ca
Email irshdc.info@ubc.ca
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