Carleton University launches the Residential Schools Land Memory Atlas on National Indigenous Peoples Days

Ottawa, June 21, 2020 – Over 18 years ago, on June 17, 2002, the exhibition Where are the Children? Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools (WATC) was opened by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, at the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa. Today, the WATC exhibition lives on as part of the Residential Schools Land Memory Atlas (RSLMA) launched by Carleton University’s Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre.

The RSLMA maps the location of Residential Schools across Canada, but additionally provides related information and includes the perspectives of the Survivors who lived through the experience. The series of maps in this atlas use location as a starting point to house images, videos, narratives and a variety of content relating to the devastating impacts of the individual Residential Schools, including the historical geography of the sites and buildings. The atlas incorporates associated materials, including media content and related information on Residential School reunions and gatherings, other exhibitions about Residential Schools, and sketch maps of Survivor accounts, created by university students. which build upon their understanding of Survivor testimonies.

“The Legacy of Hope Foundation is celebrating our 20^th anniversary this year, so the launch of the RSLMA serves as a tangible reminder that our work continues to be referenced and developed and that there is still more work to do. We are proud to be a partner and proud that the first exhibition that we produced provided the inspiration for this project and that we are continuing to educate Canadians about Indigenous history,” said Teresa Edwards, Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel at the Legacy of Hope Foundation.

The atlas is the culmination of five years of research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The project involves Indigenous partners, including the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association, the Assiniboia Residential School Legacy Group, the Legacy of Hope Foundation and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The Atlas received significant contributions by Jeff Thomas, other academic partners, including Algoma and Concordia University and University of Manitoba.

The Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) is a charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for 20 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing impacts of the Residential School System, Sixties Scoop, Day Schools, and other colonial acts of oppression against Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants and their communities. LHF works to address racism and to promote healing among everyone in Canada. The LHF encourages people to address discrimination and injustices and to contribute to the equality, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples in order to foster Reconciliation.

For media inquiries:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone:  613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca