Official Opening

Professor Santa J. Ono, President and Vice-Chancellor invites you to attend a ceremony to witness the official opening of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre and a Statement of Apology for UBC’s involvement in the system that supported the operation of the Indian Residential Schools.

Monday, April 9, 2018

10:00 a.m.

Koerner Plaza, 1958 Main Mall, UBC Vancouver Campus

Opening ceremony will take place outdoors, please dress appropriately.

Download the formal invitation (PDF).

View the Statement of Apology.

This website will be regularly updated with more information.

Following a conference held in March, 2011 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada on institutions of memory, the UBC First Nations House of Learning (FNHL) and Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) began discussions about an institution of memory addressing the experiences of survivors of the Indian residential schools on the west coast.

When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada announced its call to establish a National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to hold its records, UBC supported the bid of the University of Manitoba to become the national centre with the understanding that UBC would establish an affiliated, independent west coast centre.

At the TRC’s National Event in Vancouver on September 2013, UBC President Stephen Toope publicly confirmed this intention, and in its June 2016 meeting, the UBC Board of Governors approved the construction of Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC). That construction is now complete, and the IRSHDC will open to the public on April 9, 2018.

The Centre will be a place for former students and survivors of the Indian residential schools and their communities to access their records, for students and the public to explore the vast archival holdings and learn about the history and legacy of the schools through interactive technology, and for university and community members to meet in focused discussions about the uses of history and other collaborative projects.

The university directed generous, undesignated donations to fully fund this project.

Read a message from The Honourable Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training.

Webcast and Facebook Live Broadcast

The ceremony will be webcast live on this webpage and on the UBC Facebook Page for those who can’t join in person.

Students, faculty and staff on UBC’s Okanagan campus can watch the live event webcast at the University Centre Ballroom (UNC200).

Tours

Tours of the Centre will be available throughout the day, with first priority reserved for Indian residential school survivors and their families.

Support Services

Support services, especially for survivors and their family, will be available on site. Please contact a volunteer or staff member for locations.

Facebook Live Discussion

At 1:30 p.m. on April 9, First Nations & Indigenous Studies professor Sheryl Lightfoot will moderate a Facebook Live discussion with Linc Kesler and Santa Ono about the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre and the Statement of Apology for UBC’s involvement in the system that supported the operation of the Indian Residential Schools. The discussion will also be broadcast on CiTR.

Participate in the discussion on the UBC Facebook Page.

Last updated: April 19, 2018