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Summary
Survivors from the Assiniboia Indian Residential High School, the first Indian residential high school in Manitoba, and River Heights community members will gather in Winnipeg June 23 and June 24 for a reunion and commemoration event.
Activities are taking place so that this part of Canada’s history is not forgotten, reads a press statement from the University of Manitoba. Dr. Andrew Woolford, a sociologist at the university and president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, is part of the planning committee. He researches the impact of residential schools.
Assiniboia Indian Residential High School was located at 621 Academy Road in Winnipeg and operated from 1958 to 1973. It was attended by more than 600 students from First Nations throughout Manitoba.
“Assiniboia had a low public profile, and even people living close to the school didn’t know much about it,” said Theodore (Ted) Fontaine, a survivor and member of the event planning committee.
Planned activities for the Assiniboia Residential School Reunion will include unveiling plans for a commemorative marker and historical interpretive panel for the school; tours for local school groups and others to foster education about Assiniboia and the residential school experience; archival and informational display boards about the school; public talks by survivors, former staff, and scholars about Assiniboia;
site-specific story-telling and remembrances about areas of the school;
reconciliation activities, including a multi-faith reception shared by long-time River Heights residents, Assiniboia Survivors, and intergenerational Survivors.
For more information, contact: Andrew Woolford at 204-474-6058 or email: Andrew.Woolford@umanitoba.ca
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