Date/Time
Date(s) - April 9, 2018
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Location
Koener Plaza
Categories No Categories
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.
Koener Plaza, 1958 Main Mall, UBC Vancouver Campus
Opening ceremony will take place outdoors, please dress appropriately.
Download the formal invitation (PDF).
This website will be regularly updated with more information.
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 Centre was made possible through the support of an anonymous donor.
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. This page will be updated with a link to the broadcast when it is available.