Contact Us
Reading Resources
A Residential Schools Reading List - Wellington County Library
Nonfiction, fiction and memoirs for all ages exploring the stories of residential school survivors and the impact of the residential school system on Indigenous individuals and communities. List created by Wellington County Library staff.
A Residential Schools Reading List | Wellington County Library | BiblioCommons
* * * *
An Overview of the Indian Residential School System
An Overview of the Indian Residential School System is a booklet created by The Anishinabek Nation. The booklet provides general information on the purpose, establishment, and history of the Indian residential school system in Canada.
An Overview of the Indian Residential School System
* * * *
Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The two volume report calls for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities across the country.
The Final Report is comprised of the truths of more than 2,380 family members, survivors of violence, experts and Knowledge Keepers shared over two years of cross-country public hearings and evidence gathering. It delivers 231 individual Calls for Justice directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries and all Canadians.
"Our mountain will be conquered. With love, kindness and always together, fighting the systems for Justice."
* * * *
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society
IRSSS provides essential services to Residential School Survivors, their families, and those dealing with Intergenerational traumas. These impacts affect every family and every community across B.C. and Canada.
To learn more, visit their website: Indian Residential School Survivors Society (irsss.ca)
"We at Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) strive to provide physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual growth, development, and healing through culturally-based values and guiding principles for Survivors, Families, and Communities." - IRSSS Mission Statement
* * * *
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation 
The NCTR is a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of the residential school experience will be honoured and kept safe for future generations.
The NCTR was created as part of the mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). The TRC was charged to listen to Survivors, their families, communities and others affected by the residential school system and educate Canadians about their experiences. The resulting collection of statements, documents and other materials now forms the sacred heart of the NCTR.
The NCTR Archives and Collections is the foundation for ongoing learning and research. Here, Survivors, their families, educators, researchers, and the public can examine the residential school system more deeply with the goal of fostering reconciliation and healing.
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
* * * *
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
In order to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made 94 calls to action.
"Reconciliation is about forging and maintaining respectful relationships. There are no shortcuts." - Justice Murray Sinclair
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action PDF
* * * *
The Journey Together: Ontario's Commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
Ontario is working with Indigenous partners to address the legacy of residential schools, close gaps and remove barriers, support Indigenous culture, and reconcile relationships with Indigenous peoples.
"Our traditional teachings speak to us about our connection to each other as we move throughout creation, Mino Bimawdiziwin. In order for true reconciliation to happen in this time, we must acknowledge and honour this extended family relationship and our collective commitment to doing things in the best way, thinking seven generations into the future." - Elder and advisor Shelley Charles, Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation
The Journey Together: Ontario's Commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
Video Resources
Crimes Against Children at Residential School: The Truth About Ste. Anne’s: The 5th Estate - Video, 21 mins (2019)
St. Anne’s Indian Residential School in Northern Ontario was a place of horrific abuse and crimes against children that took place over decades. For years, records detailing the abuse were kept hidden — from survivors who needed them for their compensation claims. In Reconciliation Betrayed: The Horrors of St. Anne’s, we show how CBC News obtain thousands of those very documents which expose the fuller picture of the abuse than was previously acknowledged.
| Watch Full 21 Minute Video |
The Indian Act Explained - Video, 26 mins (2018)
A video from The Agenda with Steve Paikin, featuring Bob Joseph, who explains the Indian Act.
| Watch Full 26 Minute Video |
Trick or Treaty? - Video, 1 h 24 min (2014)
Covering a vast swath of northern Ontario, Treaty No. 9 reflects the often contradictory interpretations of treaties between First Nations and the Crown. To the Canadian government, this treaty represents a surrendering of Indigenous sovereignty, while the descendants of the Cree signatories contend its original purpose to share the land and its resources has been misunderstood and not upheld. Enlightening as it is entertaining, Trick or Treaty? succinctly and powerfully portrays one community’s attempts to enforce their treaty rights and protect their lands, while also revealing the complexities of contemporary treaty agreements.
Visit the National Firm Board of Canada's website to watch the full Documentary: Trick or Treaty?
"The film was a very good teaching and I think many people just don't know the true history or any history. After viewing the film, I could not believe the Indigenous people would have knowingly and simply given over their land, water or anything else. In fact, they could have taught much about caring for the land, waters and creatures. I admire very much how they endure and strive to reach their goal and truth in a peaceful manner."
Course Resources
Indigenous Canada - Free Course Offered by the University of Alberta
Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations. Topics for the 12 lessons include the fur trade and other exchange relationships, land claims and environmental impacts, legal systems and rights, political conflicts and alliances, Indigenous political activism, and contemporary Indigenous life, art and its expressions.
Indigenous Canada | University of Alberta (ualberta.ca)
Aboriginal Worldviews and Education - Offered by the University of Toronto
Intended for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal learners, this course will explore indigenous ways of knowing and how they can benefit all students. Topics include historical, social, and political issues in Aboriginal education; terminology; cultural, spiritual and philosophical themes in Aboriginal worldviews; and how Aboriginal worldviews can inform professional programs and practices, including but not limited to the field of education.
Aboriginal Worldviews and Education | Coursera 
Reconciliation Tour Resources
Woodland Cultural Centre
Woodland Cultural Centre serves to preserve and promote Indigenous history, art, language and culture. Presently, virutal tours of the former Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School are available for both private group viewings for businesses, schools and organizations; and public viewings monthly where anyone can register.
Mohawk Institute Residential School Virtual Tour Now Available Online | Woodland Cultural Centre
