Indian Residential Schools

Indian Residential Schools (IRS) were administered and operated in Canada by the government and various churches (please note that similar institutions operated in the United States and were called Indian Schools or sometimes Boarding Schools). Settler Canadians have known about these institutions for many years, though it is only relatively recently that they have learned of their impacts. High profile reports - for instance the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report - have brought these institutions into the spotlight. Yet, finding documentation on the IRS is not always easy. This guide is meant to help you locate information that would be of assistance in your research.