A new fund has been launched to give Indigenous communities and organizations resources to support Indian Residential School survivors and their families, as they undertake burial investigations at former residential schools.
The $7.1 million Indian Residential School Community Engagement Fund (IRSCEF) can be used for mental health and addictions supports, research and public education.
“Ontario has heard from Indigenous partners and leadership that more support is needed for the broader network of communities and organizations involved in or impacted by investigations at Indian Residential School sites,” said Greg Rickford, minister of Indigenous affairs. “Our government is directly responding to Indigenous feedback, and the IRSCEF will allow us to fund Indigenous-led and survivor-centred programs and services that are flexible and respond to the needs of survivors and their families.”
Burial investigations have been taking place across the country, since the May 2021 discovery of 215 unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, near Kamloops, BC. The graves were discovered through ground penetrating radar technology.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission discussed the existence of unmarked graveyards, known to be located at former institutional sites, in its 2015 report. The commission was able to confirm 3,200 burials through documentation. However, the final report stated that poor record keeping and sweeping epidemics likely resulted in underreporting. Truth and Reconciliation chairman Murray Sinclair has estimated that the total burials could rage from 6,000 to 25,000.
The new fund is open to communities and organizations which provide supports to people during this difficult work.
Applications can be submitted through the Ontario government at ontario.ca/page/available-funding-opportunities-ontario-government until Tuesday, September 5 at 4 p.m. EDT. Applications opened on Monday. Eligible activities to receive funding include:
- Community engagement
- Mental health and addictions support
- Research activities
- Public education and awareness
- Staffing supports
- Commemoration initiatives
Eligible applicants may receive up to $150,000 for the 2023-24 fiscal year (April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024). Funding is expected to be released beginning in fall 2023.
The new Indian Residential School Community Engagement Fund is part of the $25.1 million announced in the 2023 budget to support burial investigations at former Indian Residential Schools (IRS) which includes $10.1 million to support Indigenous communities with work related to planned and ongoing burial investigations and $15 million to support Indigenous communities in responding to the mental health and addictions and trauma impacts of this difficult work
To date, Ontario has committed $62.3 million to support IRS burial investigations.
As we continue to advance meaningful reconciliation, the province is also working with Indigenous partners to explore opportunities that strengthen Ontarians’ collective awareness and understanding of the legacy of these institutions.
