NCTR moving to new location thanks to $2M donation
Posted April 15, 2025 6:10 pm.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is one step closer to moving out of its current location here at the University of Manitoba and into its new permanent home, thanks to a $2 million gift from Canada Life and Power Corporation of Canada.
The funding is part of a $40 million capital campaign to build the Centre’s first permanent location in Winnipeg. Construction is set to begin in 2026, with doors open to the public by 2029.
“Putting our foot forward this way it really calls on other organizations across Canada to do their part as well and I think that is what’s most important,” said Paul Mahon, the President and CEO of Canada Life.
Since 2015, the Centre has been operating from a temporary space at the University, where it is home to educate Canadians about the deep injustices endured by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities through the forced removal of children to residential schools and the widespread abuse they suffered.
NCTR’s Executive Director, Stephanie Scott, says this is a major step in creating a new space to share truths, pass on knowledge, and reconnect with what was taken.
“The ground has been blessed, we did a lot of ceremony there, we’ve marked the space, and we know the children’s spirits will drive that opportunity to open those doors so we can continue to honor and respect their lives.”
Tuesday’s announcement was also marked by a powerful reminder of the Centre’s purpose, as The National Student Memorial Register Cloth was unveiled, stretching across the room with the names of roughly 4,000 Indigenous children lost to residential schools.
“We know that those numbers will continue to grow, and it is the sad through here in Canada and were still alive and living that legacy, so it’s really important we find the children that died in residential school so their families can start to heal,” said Scott.
