BC Residential School Response Fund

Last updated on September 20, 2024

Content warning: This web page contains information related to residential schools. Support is available for anyone who has been affected by residential schools.

If you need emotional or crisis support, contact the 24-Hour National Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 or access a crisis support.

 

B.C. is committed to supporting First Nations-led strategies to investigate, protect and commemorate the sites of former Indian Residential Schools and Indian Hospitals in B.C. and providing the mental health, wellness and cultural supports required to do this in a safe, supportive and culturally appropriate way. 

On this page:

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Created in 2008 as a result ofT the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) had a mandate to listen to survivors, their families, communities and others affected by the residential school system and inform all Canadians about the residential school system and its legacy. The TRC carried out extensive work during its mandate from 2008 – 2015, which included

  • Hearing from and documenting the truth of survivors, their families, members of their communities, former staff of residential schools, and others
  • Hosting seven national events across Canada to promote awareness and public education about the residential school system and its impacts
  • Collecting all relevant documents from churches and government entities and creating a historical record of the residential school system
  • Establishing the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) at the University of Manitoba that now houses all the documents collected by the TRC, and
  • Issuing a comprehensive report on the policies and operations of the schools and their lasting impacts. The final report included Ten Principles for Reconciliation and 94 Calls to Action that speak to all sectors of Canadian society.

The Calls to Action include specific actions related to missing children, residential school cemeteries, and unmarked burials.

73.

We call upon the federal government to work with churches, Aboriginal communities, and former residential school students to establish and maintain an online registry of residential school cemeteries, including, where possible, plot maps showing the location of deceased residential school children.

74.

We call upon the federal government to work with the churches and Aboriginal community leaders to inform the families of children who died at residential schools of the child's burial location, and to respond to families' wishes for appropriate commemoration ceremonies and markers, and reburial in home communities where requested.

75.

We call upon the federal government to work with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, churches, Aboriginal communities, former residential school students, and current landowners to develop and implement strategies and procedures for the ongoing identification, documentation, maintenance, commemoration, and protection of residential school cemeteries or other sites at which residential school children were buried. This is to include the provision of appropriate memorial ceremonies and commemorative markers to honour the deceased children.

76.

We call upon the parties engaged in the work of documenting, maintaining, commemorating, and protecting residential school cemeteries to adopt strategies in accordance with the following principles:

  • The Aboriginal community most affected shall lead the development of such strategies.
  • Information shall be sought from residential school Survivors and other Knowledge Keepers in the development of such strategies.
  • Aboriginal protocols shall be respected before any potentially invasive technical inspection and investigation of a cemetery site.

77.

We call upon provincial, territorial, municipal, and community archives to work collaboratively with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to identify and collect copies of all records relevant to the history and legacy of the residential school system, and to provide these to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

These Calls to Action continue to guide the province in its response to work on the sites of former Indian Residential Schools and Indian Hospitals throughout B.C. Reports from the TRC and the NCTR can be found online at: https://nctr.ca/records/reports/

Funding for work at former Indian Residential Schools and Indian Hospitals

Established in 2021, the BC Residential School Response Fund (the fund) supports lead communities to develop and implement strategies and procedures for the ongoing research, identification, documentation, commemoration and protection of residential school and Indian hospital sites in search of the burial locations and unmarked graves of the Indigenous children who never came home.

The fund is available to support activities on the sites of former Indian Residential Schools and Indian Hospitals. Up to $475,000 is available for each site.

Funding is available for:

  • Mental health and wellness and clinical supports
  • Traditional wellness and cultural supports
  • Archival research
  • Engagement with Elders, Knowledge-Keepers, survivors, intergenerational survivors and families
  • Engagement with First Nations, local governments and landowners
  • Procurement of technical expertise
  • Communication supports
  • Training and capacity development
  • Planning and project management supports, and
  • Policy development

The fund complements the federal funding available through the Residential Schools Missing Children - Community Support Fund. The Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation (MIRR) is working with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) to coordinate funding supports. The partners are taking a ‘no wrong door’ approach by working with communities in a coordinated way to meet their needs.

There is no application deadline. MIRR will work with lead communities on an ongoing basis to make sure resources are available to support site-specific work when ready.

 

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Funding eligibility

The fund is open to all First Nations or Tribal Councils with a former Indian Residential School or Indian Hospital site located in or near their community and who have been identified as the lead community or coordinating body to undertake site-specific work.

B.C. will work collaboratively with communities on a site-by-site basis to assess needs and provide the necessary supports. This could include exploring other funding opportunities that may be available to advance projects not eligible for the BC Residential School Fund.

There is no direct funding for individuals or service providers.

Application process

To apply, lead communities are asked to write and submit a statement of intent. It may include:

  • Information about a residential school or hospital site
  • Description of key activities or deliverables
  • Proposed budget plan
  • Proposed timeline
  • Services or supports required

Download application templateThe use of the template is optional.

Where possible, lead communities are invited to submit a single proposal to MIRR and CIRNAC for joint review.

Send your completed statement of intent by email to residentialschoolsresponse@gov.bc.ca.

First Nations liaison

The Province has appointed Charlene Belleau to advise and assist in the provincial response. 

The liaisons will:

  • Assist First Nations in accessing funding support from the B.C. government
  • Provide advice to the B.C. government on the response to residential school and hospital sites throughout B.C.
  • Act as a communications link between communities that have residential school or hospital sites

Download application template. The use of the template is optional.

Where possible, lead communities are invited to submit a single proposal to MIRR and CIRNAC for joint review.

Send your completed statement of intent by email to residentialschoolsresponse@gov.bc.ca.

Mental health and wellness supports

The Province has provided funding to Indigenous service providers to address the increased need for culturally safe and trauma-informed mental health and wellness supports for residential school survivors and their families. This includes:

Crisis supports and resources

Immediate crisis support is available to residential school survivors.

24-Hour National Crisis Line

Call: 1-866-925-4419

KUU-US Crisis Line Society

Call: 1-800-588-8717

Métis Crisis Line

Call: 1-833-638-4722

If you need support developing a statement of intent, have questions about the Fund or other funding opportunities that may be available to support this work, contact us by email.

Email: residentialschoolsresponse@gov.bc.ca.