Reconciliation in Alberta

Alberta's government provided $8 million to 43 Indigenous communities and organizations through the Residential Schools Community Research Grant. This funding is supporting Indigenous-led engagement and research into the documented and undocumented deaths and burials of Indigenous children at residential school sites across Alberta.

Learn more about residential school research and recognition. 

The Alberta government provides targeted funding for mental health supports to help Indigenous Peoples navigate through intergenerational trauma. This included a new mental health support grant in 2021, and ongoing funding for Alberta Health Services (AHS) Indigenous Wellness Core.

The Alberta government permanently waived fees for legal name changes of Indigenous people who lost their names through residential school experiences and the Sixties Scoop. Access to vital records has also been expanded, especially as it relates to eligibility for First Nation and Métis membership rights and applications for other programs and services.

Research and location information about residential schools across Alberta has been compiled and incorporated into the Listing of Historic Resources. Government uses this database to prevent development activities from adversely affecting residential school sites.

The Provincial Archives of Alberta supports research efforts and reaches out regularly to Indigenous researchers and organizations to build relationships and provide access to records.

Alberta government archivists also helped develop A Reconciliation Framework for Canadian Archives as part of a national taskforce. This process has removed barriers between Indigenous record keepers and Canadian archives.

More information is available in the Resource Guide for Researching and Recognizing Residential School Sites. 

Alberta Public Service employees are continually encouraged to complete the Indigenous Introductory Training, including front-line workers and employees of government agencies, boards, and commissions.

An advanced Indigenous cultural protocol training course is also available. Learning about historical and contemporary Indigenous experiences and perspectives helps Alberta’s public service better represent, understand and work with Indigenous Peoples in the province.

Indigenous student supports provide financial assistance in Alberta’s adult learning system.

Other supports for Indigenous learners include:

• Foundational Learning Assistance provides funding to First Nation colleges and other Indigenous training providers for tuition, fees, books, supplies and living allowances for upgrading, basic education and integrated training programs
• funding to CAREERS: The Next Generation, which delivers programs such as the Indigenous Youth Careers Pathway Program, is helping Indigenous youth explore careers through school, community and industry collaboration
• the Indigenous Post-secondary Mental Health Grant, available to First Nations Colleges and mainstream post-secondary institutions in Alberta to help promote positive mental health and accessible supports

Project funding is also available to help Indigenous institutions offer programs with an Indigenous focus.

Three First Nation colleges in Alberta offer credentialed Indigenous language programming for Indigenous students.

• University nuhelot’ine thaiyots’i nistameyimakanak Blue Quills offers a Bachelor of Arts in nêhiyawêwin, a Bachelor of Arts in Dene and a Masters of Arts in Indigenous Languages.
• Maskwacis Cultural College offers a Cree Language Instructor Training program.
• Yellowhead Tribal College offers an Indigenous Languages Degree.

Mainstream post-secondary institutions have also implemented Indigenous language initiatives. The University of Alberta offers an Indigenous Language Teacher program, Cree as a second language courses, and retains the Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute.

Athabasca University, University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge and Old Sun Community College also offer Indigenous language courses.

Government collaborates with Indigenous communities to update its policies and practices to support families in ways that connect culture, ceremony, language and history.

If a child cannot remain safely in their own home, kinship care is always viewed as the first safe placement option to maintain connections between the child and family. A mobile Connections App provides culturally relevant tools for young Indigenous adults who are transitioning into adulthood.

Alberta Family Resource Networks provide prevention and early intervention services that help Indigenous families remain resilient, strong and healthy by connecting them with culturally informed programs.

The Indigenous Cultural Understanding Framework was developed and informed by Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers and is used to educate Children’s Services staff about Indigenous cultures, considerations and worldviews. This helps influence their work in a way that supports better outcomes for Indigenous youth and families.

The Alberta government shares child intervention data and information with the public. Statistics about children in care are available at the child intervention information and statistics summary.

The government’s goal is to continuously improve systems to better support the safety and well-being of children receiving child intervention services.

The Government of Alberta formally apologized to Sixties Scoop survivors and their families in 2018. Government continues to work closely with the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta to help shape how our government can meaningfully promote awareness and healing.

Jordan's Principle ensures all First Nations children living in Canada can access essential products, services and supports, wherever they live.

The agreement between the Government of Alberta, Government of Canada and First Nations Health Consortium to fully implement Jordan’s Principle in Alberta was the first of its kind in Canada. It created a process driven by First Nations leaders to help coordinate services, so there are fewer delays when a child needs support.

The Royal Alberta Museum has been active in repatriating sacred ceremonial objects to Blackfoot First Nations with the support of a Blackfoot Confederacy Advisory Committee on Museum Relations.

Indigenous content at the Royal Alberta Museum is presented in a variety of ways, including hundreds of objects on display, text panels translated into Indigenous languages and films that can be heard or captioned in many Indigenous languages. The museum cares for about 18,000 objects of Indigenous origin, from the mid-1800s to the present. As the collection grows, museum staff work with Indigenous people to ensure that contemporary and historic experiences are represented in the collections and in displays.

The Royal Alberta Museum provides free admission to all Indigenous peoples.

The Public Library Services Branch maintains an annual grant program to help eliminate fees and provide access to the Public Library Network’s resources for people living on First Nations and Metis Settlements.

Alberta’s government routinely engages with Indigenous communities to identify and adopt Indigenous place names in Alberta.

In one example, the name of a mountain peak near Canmore was changed from Bald Eagle Peak to Anû Kathâ Îpa, which is a traditional name the Stoney Nakoda people have used for countless generations. Names that are officially changed by the province are also updated on federal databases.

Government funding has helped Voices of the Land share stories from Indigenous people in Alberta on a respectful, community-owned digital space that is open to all library users.

Through the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA), the province provides support for Indigenous arts through grants, programming and art acquisition. Indigenous Arts Individual Project Funding supports the development of individual Indigenous artists and arts administrators.

The foundation has also taken steps to ensure there is representation of Indigenous artists in the AFA Collection.

Provincial funding helped open the Indigenous Languages Resource Centre (ILRC) at the Central Library in Calgary. Designed with Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers from Treaty 7, the ILRC is a culturally significant space to teach language and culture, share information and encourage storytelling.

The Prairie Indigenous E-Book Collection is a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Alberta government and the Book Publishers of Alberta.

Stories by Indigenous authors and writing about Indigenous culture are now easier to find. Works in this collection are available for online borrowing from local libraries in Alberta.

The Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) backstops loans for Indigenous investments in major agriculture, telecommunication, transportation and natural resource development projects.

The AIOC is a Crown Corporation that removes financial barriers for large Indigenous investments, creating sustainable revenue streams and economic growth for Indigenous communities.

Site Rehabilitation Program (SRP) grant funding created jobs for Indigenous people and businesses by cleaning up inactive oil and gas sites in Indigenous communities across Alberta.

Funded by the federal government, this program was made possible by the efforts of the Alberta government, Indigenous communities, businesses, the Indigenous Roundtable and the Metis Settlements General Council.

The Aboriginal Business Investment Fund (ABIF) funds eligible Indigenous community-owned economic development projects. ABIF supports capital costs for businesses that increase employment opportunities and local revenue streams for Indigenous communities.

The Employment Partnerships Program (EPP) is a federal-provincial partnership that funds programs that help connect Indigenous people to employment.

Alberta also works with and supports Indigenous organizations, like the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women, that provide job readiness and retention programs to Indigenous people across the province.

Through participation in the Education sub-table of the Blackfoot Confederacy Protocol Agreement, the Alberta government provides support for students to visit multiple locations for language and land-based learning as part of the ongoing efforts to recognize, revitalize, and retain the Blackfoot language.

Alberta is rebalancing the education system by including the history and legacy of residential schools and local Indigenous knowledge, wisdom, and oral traditions in the curriculum to advance reconciliation for all Albertans.

Government is pursuing initiatives to support more inclusive and expansive Indigenous education for all students in Alberta.

This includes regular review and updating of professional practice standards to ensure all educational professionals have knowledge and understanding of Indigenous cultures, experiences and perspectives, including the legacy of residential schools and treaties.

In 2022, Alberta Education launched the Strengthening Relationships pilot program. The pilot program aims to increase opportunities for First Nations and Métis students, families and communities to build and strengthen relationships with school authorities by increasing engagement activities that reflect local needs, including culture and language experiences, social and recreational opportunities, community development and restorative practices in schools.

The Government of Alberta partnered with MacEwan University to identify academic streaming practices within the K to 12 education system that may limit Indigenous student access to post-secondary education by creating unnecessary enrolment barriers. 

Research findings will help assess the impact of academic streaming practices on First Nations, Métis and Inuit students and identify potential solutions to strengthen educational outcomes.

Alberta Education’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit Division works collaboratively with Indigenous students, parents, Elders, governments, communities, organizations and other partners to strive for excellence in Indigenous education.

Alberta’s government is providing more than $10 million for the new Bridging Classrooms to Communities pilot program. It will help Indigenous partners such as the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association build relationships with local school authorities to advance reconciliation and support the hiring of community connection workers to strengthen student relationships with Indigenous communities.

Indigenous Family Resource Networks give Indigenous families access to culturally appropriate prevention and early intervention programs and services. Indigenous children and families have access to high-quality support, regardless of location. There are also designated Indigenous Parent Link Centres in the province that provide core services in the context of the Indigenous communities they are working in.

Alberta’s government provides support to the Indigenous families of children with disabilities through the Family Support for Children with Disabilities program, which is available on First Nations and Metis Settlements.

The government continues to work with First Nations on opportunities to improve access to support. It is also working with the federal government to extend services to adults with developmental disabilities living on First Nations.

The FASD cross-ministry committee has made Alberta a leader by supporting a coordinated response and an inclusive range of services that is respectful of community diversity.

Alberta’s FASD Service Networks offer services to all people in Alberta, including culturally appropriate FASD support to Indigenous communities.

The CASA First Nation program removes barriers to services and provides community-based access to support.

The Metis Settlements FASD Network serves the 8 Metis Settlements in Alberta, ensuring Métis voices are included in the planning of programs and services. The Métis Nation of Alberta also provides ongoing FASD prevention and education programming to meet the unique needs of Métis people in Alberta.

The Indigenous Housing Capital Program provides funding for Indigenous governments and organizations, housing providers, municipalities, and non-profits to build affordable housing. Funding is used to increase the supply of affordable off-reserve, off-settlement and on-settlement housing units for Indigenous peoples.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) worked with the AHS Indigenous Wisdom Council to produce Indigenous Health Commitments: Roadmap to Wellness, a framework that sets out a clear path to better treatment for Indigenous people across the province.

Alberta’s government is committed to Jordan’s Principle, so First Nations children on and off reserve have access to the health, education and social supports they require to reach their potential.

Alberta's government supports programs focused on the mental health needs of Indigenous people across the province. In July 2021, government pledged $8 million for mental health supports for Indigenous people.

This funding is supporting programs like the AHS Indigenous Wellness Core, which provides culturally appropriate and accessible health-care services for Indigenous people across Alberta. AHS is also coordinating Honouring Life grants, supporting Indigenous communities and organizations to implement community-based, life promotion projects on youth suicide prevention efforts.

Additionally, government grants and targeted funding support continues to increase Indigenous access to mental health and addiction services across the province.

Enoch Cree Nation, in partnership with Surgical Centres Inc., is building a state-of-the-art, chartered surgical facility. The Nation is working with Alberta Health Services to offer up to 3,000 publicly funded hip and knee replacements and other joint procedures in the Edmonton area each year when the facility is up and running.

This will be one of the first surgical facilities built on First Nation land in Canada.

Alberta's government supported Indigenous communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to make sure they were prepared and had access to the necessary supplies and services. Working with Indigenous Services Canada, we made certain that Indigenous leadership had accurate and up-to-date information.

Due to the increased risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, the government worked to provide prioritized access to Indigenous people across the province during every phase of the vaccine rollout.

Alberta’s government supported a mobile vaccination clinic that visited remote Indigenous communities and also provided vaccines, equipment and test kits to First Nations and Métis health centres, Friendship Centres and pop-up clinics in urban areas.

Alberta's government continues to support Indigenous addiction treatment centres and projects across the province, including building new recovery communities in Indigenous communities and expanding the number of beds at existing sites. 

Learn more about Alberta’s recovery-oriented system of care.

Alberta Health Services provides cultural training for its staff and the government works with the Health Quality Council of Alberta to compile Indigenous feedback on the patient complaint process. This guides improvements to the organizational culture of Alberta’s health system to achieve equality for all people.

Programs like the Continuing Care Capital Program, which includes an Indigenous stream, help Indigenous communities build continuing care spaces that provide culturally appropriate care.

Following the advice of the Alberta Joint Working Group on MMIWG, the government created a Premier’s Council on MMIWG2S+ that is recommending actions and identifying gaps that need to be addressed to eliminate gender-based violence against Indigenous people in Alberta.

The Community Support Fund supports community-based initiatives that address violence and increase the safety and economic security of Indigenous women, girls and 2S+ people.

The Alberta government regularly funds initiatives that support the safety and wellbeing of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. For example, the government provides annual to the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women to support mental health and advocacy services, job readiness programs and more.

The Family Information Liaison Unit provides information and connections to services for families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Alberta supports women’s shelters that provide culturally responsive care for Indigenous families impacted by violence, including the Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society, which offers Indigenous-led holistic services guided by traditional teachings.

Many Alberta shelters work with Elders and other respected leaders to strengthen their services through trauma-informed education and other culturally relevant training. Various Catholic Social Services shelters offer cultural connectors that support Indigenous women and children.

The Alberta government provides grants to programs dealing with family violence prevention and sexual violence prevention, including specific funding for culturally appropriate parenting programs for Indigenous families.

The First Nations and Métis Women’s Councils on Economic Security make recommendations for the Alberta government on policies, programs and services to improve the lives of Indigenous women, their families and communities.

The Public Security Indigenous Advisory Committee, composed of Indigenous leaders, is developing strategies to improve public safety in Indigenous communities and across Alberta.

The Indigenous Courtwork Program provides support and advice to Indigenous people appearing in the criminal, youth, and family divisions of the provincial court. The Alberta government provides funding to multiple organizations that provide this service in the province.

Indigenous offenders charged with minor offenses may be able to complete the Alternative Measures Program. This program is meant to remove systemic barriers that may keep Indigenous offenders from getting help. It uses a restorative justice approach and supports Indigenous cultural or spiritual needs.

Indigenous Elders and program coordinators who are familiar with the issues facing Indigenous inmates and communities offer programs in Alberta’s correctional centres, as well as for individuals serving community-based sentences.

Several universities receive grants for inmate programs in correctional centres, which help to deliver Indigenous-specific courses.

The Edmonton Indigenous Court and Calgary Indigenous Court are part of the provincial court system and are working to provide culturally relevant, restorative and holistic systems of justice for Indigenous people.

Alberta’s government provides funding for Indigenous police services through the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program.

Alberta is also providing a grant to help Indigenous and municipal communities examine different policing models and develop a business case for their own stand-alone police service or a regional equivalent.

We provide Indigenous cultural awareness training to all government staff, including corrections officers, peace officers and probation officers. The training deals with the diversity of Indigenous cultures, dispels myths, describes the role of Elders and highlights the programs and ceremonies provided in Alberta’s correctional centres.

The government worked with the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Law to develop courses that teach law students about the effects of colonization, residential schools and the loss of Indigenous cultural connections.

Lawyers in Alberta are encouraged to complete training through the Law Society of Alberta. The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service also provides other learning opportunities to actively combat systemic issues that are contributing to the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system.