Primary Sources

The primary repository of archival information is the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, located in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. However, archival collections containing records of Indian Residential Schools can be found elsewhere as well. The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Columbia is one significant repository, as is Library and Archives Canada and the archives of the various Churches that ran the institutions.

Recognized Residential Schools
This map represents the original 130 Indian Residential Schools included in the 2007 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement as well as the seven institutions which were added through Article 12 by Canada and the two schools which were added by the courts, bringing the total number of recognized schools to 139.
Residential School Resources at the Library and Archives Canada
The following government records are in the LAC collection:
Attendance and discharge forms
Applications for admission
Applications for educational assistance
Daily registers
Records of death for pupils in residential schools
Nominal rolls
Principal’s monthly reports
Pupil withdrawal forms
Quarterly returns
Transportation records for students

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
The NCTR currently houses over 5 million records in its archival collections. The overwhelming majority of these records currently consist of those created or co-created or collected by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) during its mandate. Records created or co-created by the TRC include the business records of the Commission and Statements gathered by the TRC from individuals impacted by residential schools. These records also include objects given to the TRC in a range of contexts.
Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre
The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) at UBC addresses the colonial legacy of residential schools and other policies imposed by the Canadian government on Indigenous Peoples, and ensures that this history is acknowledged, examined and understood within the UBC community. The Centre works with partners across disciplines, at UBC and beyond, to facilitate dialogues and access to records and information that support engaging the legacies of the residential school system and the on-going impacts of colonialism in Canada.
Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre
The Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) is a recent integration and consolidation of two major initiatives of Algoma University (AU) and its partners, the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association (CSAA) and the National Residential Schools Survivors Society (NRSSS): the Shingwauk Project, founded in 1979; and the Residential School Research, Archive and Visitor’s Centre, founded in 2005.
United Church of Canada Archives
A guide to archives held by the United Church of Canada related to Indian Residential Schools.
Presbyterian Church of Canada Archives
An exhibit of more than 100 archival photographs from the 1930's to the 1960's.