The Winnipeg Foundation makes $5-million gift to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

Treaty One Territory, original lands of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Ojibwe-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, the homeland of the Red River Métis, and home to many Inuit

Today, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) and its host, the University of Manitoba (UM) announced a $5-million gift from The Winnipeg Foundation. The Foundation’s historic and lead gift to a $40-million capital campaign will support the building of a new permanent home for the NCTR in the heart of Treaty One Territory in Winnipeg. The NCTR, The Winnipeg Foundation and UM are united in their commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and their dedication to this important project.

“The Foundation is humbled and honoured to make an important gift and investment in our community and country. Through the generosity of our donors this contribution supports more than 10 decades of their collective belief in ‘we are stronger when we work together’ and helps ensure we continue to collaborate on our path of Truth and Reconciliation,” says Sky Bridges, President, and CEO of The Winnipeg Foundation.

As Canada’s first community foundation, The Winnipeg Foundation has a long history of philanthropic leadership. The Foundation has been steadfast in its work to “ensure a Winnipeg where community life flourishes for all”. With this commitment to the NCTR, the impact of The Foundation’s generosity will be felt in Winnipeg and across the country now and for generations to come as a beautiful expression of their motto: for good, forever.

“I survived the Ermineskin Residential School in 1963, and part of that survival has been to tell my story, share my truths of the experience so people understand what we went through as Indigenous people,” says Laurie McDonald, Survivor Circle member. “Without Truth, there can be no Reconciliation in Canada, and that’s why our new building is so important. It will be for all people to learn our history so it’s never forgotten. So what we endured will never be forgotten.”

“The NCTR is deeply grateful to The Winnipeg Foundation for their ongoing partnership and shared commitment to preserving the truths of the Indian Residential School system,” says Stephanie Scott, Executive Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. “This gift will help create a place where the history is never forgotten nor denied, and where the strength and courage of Residential School Survivors can guide us to a better future. While we cannot change our past, we can change our future.”

The NCTR’s new home will be a safe space for Survivors and their families to come together to share their truths, knowledge and experiences. The Centre will also be a place where family members can visit for healing and to reconnect with lost histories and loved ones. It will be a place where children, families, and people from all walks of life can embark on their own journey of Reconciliation based on understanding and appreciating the true history of residential schools. The NCTR will help safeguard the truths of Residential School Survivors for all – not only in Canada, but globally – now and for generations to come.

Since it was established in 2015, the NCTR has operated out of a temporary facility on the UM campus. With seed funding from the federal government, and land donated by UM, the realization of Survivors’ vision to build a new home is becoming a reality.

“The new home for the NCTR will be an internationally renowned site of learning, healing and meaningful action,” says Dr. Michael Benarroch, UM president and vice-chancellor. “UM is honoured to be the host for the NCTR and I am looking forward to continuing to work together on this vital endeavour. I am inspired and grateful for the generosity of The Winnipeg Foundation for its leadership in this national campaign and their dedication to Reconciliation.”

‌For media inquiries at NCTR, contact: Shasta Chartrand, Director, Communications and Digital Strategy, NCTR, 204-599-2771 or email: Shasta.Chartrand@umanitoba.ca

‌For media inquiries at The Winnipeg Foundation, contact: LuAnn Lovlin, CFRE, Vice President, Communications & Marketing, The Winnipeg Foundation 204-781-9336 or email llovlin@wpgfdn.org

‌For media inquiries at UM, contact: Kerilee Falloon, Director, Advancement Marketing, University of Manitoba, 204-688-6639 or email: Kerilee.Falloon@umanitoba.ca

For more information about the NCTR, please visit nctr.ca.

For more information about The Winnipeg Foundation, please visit wpgfdn.org.

For more information about the University of Manitoba, please visit umanitoba.ca.