The tragic discovery of 215 unmarked children’s graves at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School marks a renewed call for grieving and action on the part of the University of Toronto community. Learning about the history of the residential schools, as well as the history of Indigenous people, is an important component of this process. A key document is the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Below, you will also find several other key historical and educational resources, including those offered by U of T.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was active from 2008 to 2015, and was convened to document the history and lasting impacts of the residential school system. During this time, residential school survivors shared their experiences in a series of meetings held across the country.
In June 2015, the TRC presented the executive summary of findings contained in its multi-volume final report, including 94 Calls to Action (or recommendations) to deepen reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples. Volume 4 of the report represents a “systematic effort to record and analyze the deaths at the schools, and the presence and condition of student cemeteries, within the regulatory context in which the schools were intended to operate.”
For further information, please visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation website.
Indigenous Resources at U of T
Indigenous U of T
Visit U of T’s gateway to the Indigenous community, initiatives, services and academic programs on all three U of T campuses.
Centre for Indigenous Studies
The Centre for Indigenous Studies (CIS) is mandated to foster innovative, participatory research with urban Indigenous peoples and develop collaborations with Indigenous communities and community organizations. Their website also provides links to Indigenous organizations in Ontario, as well as a series of speaker videos and archival material.
First Story Toronto
This Indigenous community-based organization researches and shares Toronto’s Indigenous presence through popular education initiatives around the city.
Since 1995, First Story Toronto (formerly the Toronto Native Community History Project) within the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, has been engaged in researching and preserving the Indigenous history of Toronto with the goal of building awareness of and pride in the long Indigenous presence and contributions to the city. First Story Toronto shares this history through a variety of initiatives such as First Story Toronto Tours, walking tours of places in the city, and making accessible a growing archive of historical materials about Toronto’s Indigenous community, past and present, on their smartphone app.
Jon Johnson is an assistant professor, teaching stream at Woodsworth College and a lead organizer for First Story Toronto. His research is focused on urban land-based Indigenous Knowledge in Toronto and its representation through oral and digital forms of storytelling. Read about Johnson’s work.
Revising textbooks
Brenda Wastasecoot is a member of the York Factory Cree First Nation, and a writer, artist and assistant professor at the Centre for Indigenous Studies. In this 2020 article from The Varsity, she and Assistant Professor Tania Aguila-Way of the Department of English discuss “traditional textbook representations of Indigenous history and the importance of making space for conversation and collaborative learning.”
National Indigenous Peoples Month programming, City of Toronto
The city is offering a wide variety of programs this month. For more information, visit the City of Toronto website.
Deepening Knowledge
Deepening Knowledge is a project offered by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) that seeks to infuse Indigenous peoples' histories, knowledges and pedagogies into all levels of education in Canada. In addition, OISE professor Jean-Paul Restoule, a member of the Dokis First Nation, teaches a free Coursera course entitled Aboriginal Worldviews and Education, which explores how Indigenous ways of knowing can benefit all students.