Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre

The Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) is a place of truth‑telling, learning, and relationship‑building, situated on the site of the former Shingwauk Indian Residential School. We respectfully acknowledge that this site lies within Robinson–Huron Treaty lands and on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabek —specifically Garden River First Nation and the Batchewana First Nation.

Rooted in decades of survivor-led advocacy, the SRSC exists today through the strength and vision of the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association (CSAA) and community partners who have worked to honour the memories, experiences, and futures of Residential School Survivors and their descendants.

As a joint initiative between Algoma University and the CSAA, the SRSC is committed to supporting decolonizing practices and advancing public education about the history and legacy of the Indian Residential School system in Canada. The work of the SRSC is centered on Survivor voices and guided by long standing relationships with Indigenous communities.

The Centre stewards an extensive archival collection documenting the history of Residential Schools, colonial education policy, and Indigenous community resurgence. The SRSC facilitates ongoing research, exhibitions, tours, and educational programming for both academic and public audiences.

The SRSC is also home to the Reclaiming Shingwauk Hall exhibition—a Survivor-driven permanent exhibition co-created with the CSAA that shares histories of the Shingwauk Indian Residential School and Survivors’ ongoing efforts to reclaim space and knowledge.

Upon completion of construction in 2027, the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) will be moving into Makwa Waakaa’igan, gaining a significantly expanded, purpose-built space designed to enhance access to its archives, support community engagement, and elevate opportunities for research, education, and truth-telling.

This new home will provide a welcoming, culturally grounded environment where Survivor voices, historical records, and learning experiences can be preserved, shared, and experienced in more meaningful and impactful ways.

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Contact us:
[email protected]

705-949-2301 ext. 4623

Details

The SRSC is located in room SH 303 in Shingwauk Hall, at Algoma University. The SRSC is open Monday-Friday 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

For research requests, it’s helpful to contact us beforehand to ensure that the materials you wish to look at are available.

Guided Truth Walks (historic site tours) must be booked a minimum of two weeks in advance using the booking form. The walks start at either 9 am or 1 pm. Truth Walks must be booked two weeks in advance.

Archival services, Truth Walks, and services for Survivors and their families are available outside of the hours listed above with an appointment.

History

The Shingwauk Indian Residential School, part of Canada’s broader residential school system that sought to assimilate Indigenous children, operated from 1873 to 1970. Today, the Shingwauk site is home to Algoma University. The 1935 Shingwauk Hall building still stands on the site and is a visible reminder of the legacy of residential schools.

After the school’s closure, Survivors, their families, and allied community members began organizing to ensure the truths of the residential school system were preserved and shared. Their leadership led to the launch of the Shingwauk Project in 1979 and the first Shingwauk Reunion in 1981, both formative moments in the Survivor movement.

Survivors continue to shape the work of remembrance, resurgence, and education on the site and the SRSC remains committed to this work through community-based research, ethical archival practices, and public education.