Reconciliation in Alberta

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

The Family Information Liaison Unit is a single point of contact for families of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP), whether they are women, girls, 2S+ people, men or boys. The unit connects families with information about the justice system and legal process, updates on investigations and court proceedings and provides support services including counselling and spiritual support.

The Indigenous Court Work Program provides support and advice to Indigenous people appearing in court. Alberta’s government provides funding to Indigenous service organizations that provide this service at court locations across the province.

Alberta Restorative Justice Grants are available to restorative justice programs that seek to hold offenders accountable and repair relationships damaged by crime outside the formal court system, resulting in meaningful outcomes and stronger community integration within Indigenous communities.

Indigenous program coordinators (IPCs) develop, coordinate and implement culturally grounded programs for Indigenous adults and youth within Alberta’s correctional system. Using both indoor and outdoor culturally safe spaces, IPCs work closely with Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Indigenous educators to facilitate culturally relevant programs that address the unique needs of Indigenous clients in both custody and the community.

These programs and services are intended to strengthen participants’ connection to Indigenous heritage, support the preservation of cultural identity and integrate Indigenous perspectives into both new and existing programming.
 

The Edmonton Indigenous Court, Calgary Indigenous Court and the St. Paul Healing to Wellness Court are part of the provincial court system and 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.

The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service provides internal learning opportunities to Crown prosecutors to help combat systemic issues that are contributing to the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system.

Indigenous Panel

The Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services is implementing recommendations from its Indigenous Panel to help transform Alberta’s primary health care system to provide accessible, relevant and culturally safe primary health care to First Nations, Métis and Inuit patients.

Indigenous Primary Health Care Implementation Panel plan

The panel concluded its mandate on December 31, 2024, with the publication of its final report: Honouring our roots: growing together towards a culturally safe, wholistic primary health care system for Indigenous Peoples. Alberta’s government continues to implement the recommendations from this report.

Indigenous Health Division

The Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services has created the Indigenous Health Division, dedicated to promoting culturally safe primary health care led by First Nations, Métis and Inuit in Alberta.

Indigenous Patient Navigator Program

The community-based Indigenous Patient Navigator Grant Program (Navigator Program) is intended to address the immediate challenges facing Indigenous patients, communities and organizations. 

It provides financial support to First Nations, Métis and Indigenous-serving organizations to recruit and retain Navigators who support patients through the primary health care system, community and social service agencies and provide other relevant supports for their health and well-being.

Indigenous Primary Health Care Innovation Fund

The Indigenous Primary Health Care Innovation Fund (Innovation Fund) has been created to support Indigenous communities to design and deliver innovative primary health care services and projects.

Indigenous Advisory Council

Alberta’s government established an Indigenous Advisory Council to bring forward local First Nations, Métis and Inuit health priorities, where members bring forth community-driven input on ways to improve the health care system for their communities. The Indigenous Advisory Council is composed of First Nations, Métis and Inuit members from across Alberta whose unique and distinct perspectives help Alberta’s government and new provincial health care agencies identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Alberta's government supports programs focused on the mental health needs of Indigenous Peoples across the province. Funding is supporting programs like Primary Care Alberta’s Indigenous Wellness Core and the Honouring Life grants, which support Indigenous communities and organizations to implement community-based, life promotion projects on youth suicide prevention efforts. 

First Nations and Metis Settlements are also eligible to apply for the Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program. Additionally, Alberta’s government continues to invest in increasing 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.

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

Alberta's government continues to support Indigenous addiction treatment centres and projects across the province. Alberta’s government is working with Indigenous communities to build 5 recovery communities in direct partnership with Siksika Nation, Blood Tribe, Enoch Cree Nation, Tsuut’ina Nation and Métis Nation of Alberta. This is part of ongoing efforts to remove barriers to land-based, culturally safe services for Indigenous Peoples in Alberta.

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

The following resources are also available:

• The Indigenous Support Line connects Indigenous callers with Indigenous listeners to answer questions and help callers get culturally appropriate care. The line can be reached by calling 811.
• The Alberta Indigenous Virtual Care Clinic provides Indigenous people in Alberta with virtual access to health care, including mental health referrals or counselling, regardless of where they live.
• The Kainai Transition Centre is a 22-bed, six-month, bed-based addiction recovery program that provides Indigenous-based recovery services and support for individuals living with addiction, mental illness and trauma, including people returning from corrections.
• The Kottakinoona Awaahkapiiyaawa (Bringing the Spirit Home) (Bringing the Spirit Home) offers Safe Management Withdrawal and Post-Detox/Pre-Treatment programs operated by the Blood Tribe Department of Health, which provide a safe transition to addiction treatment and recovery services. The Safe Management Withdrawal program is a 24-bed, 10 to 14 day program that provides culturally appropriate trauma informed care, based on Indigenous and western based theory. The Post-Detox/Pre-Treatment program provides recovery-oriented treatment programming through a traditional Blackfoot approach to those who have completed 10 to 14-day detox and are stabilized and waiting for placement in a recovery center.
• Kokum’s House Recovery Home is a 10-bed post-treatment sober-living residence that provides a supportive and culturally sensitive environment for men transitioning from rehabilitation back into the community.
  • Poundmaker’s Lodge is a bed-based addiction treatment centre that blends Indigenous healing methodologies with western practices. The centre employs Elders, addiction physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, psychologists and other allied health professionals.
  • Sunrise Healing Lodge blends Indigenous culture and a 12-step program, allowing clients to work through the 12 steps using cultural practices to connect with their spirituality.
  • Spaces through the Morning Star Rising Sun Indigenous Healing Home operated by Oxford House provide a place for individuals to recover from addiction.

Alberta Health Services provides cultural training for its staff and 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.

Through the Office of the Alberta Health Advocates, an Indigenous Patient Safety Investigator and Advocate has been introduced to identify and address concerns of racism and mistreatment during the delivery of health care. This role provides culturally safe support and guidance to First Nations, Métis and Inuit patients and families throughout the patient complaint process. The Patient Safety Investigator and Advocate leads investigations and makes recommendations to improve Indigenous patient experiences and foster an inclusive and responsive health care system.

The Indigenous Health Division has completed 11 in person and 27 virtual sessions with Indigenous leaders, patients and service providers to gather information on racism and patient experience in Alberta. The feedback provided from participants will help to inform a final “What We Heard Report” and an Anti-Racism Action Plan.

Jordan's Principle supports equal access to a wide range of health, social and educational products, supports and services to help meet the distinct needs of First Nations children in Canada, wherever they live.

As the first jurisdiction in Canada to sign an agreement on Jordan's Principle, Alberta’s government is demonstrating its commitment to reconciliation and working to achieve better health outcomes for First Nations children and youth.
 

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

The Ministry of Education and Childcare is addressing reconciliation in the education system by including the history and legacy of residential schools and local Indigenous knowledge, wisdom and oral traditions in curriculum. This ensures all students learn about and participate in reconciliation.

When appropriate, teachers are encouraged to support education about local traditions by inviting Elders or Knowledge Keepers to hand down their cultural knowledge, wisdom and oral traditions. 
 

Alberta Education’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit Division works in partnership with Indigenous students, families, Elders, governments, communities and organizations to advance excellence in Indigenous education.

Alberta Education and Childcare promotes inclusive learning environments and culturally responsive teaching practices through professional practice standards that ensure all educational professionals possess knowledge and understanding of Indigenous cultures, experiences and perspectives, particularly with the legacy of residential schools and the significance of treaties.
 

Through the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Languages Teacher Bursary, eligible K to 12 teachers, instructors or Elders can receive a bursary to complete an accredited First Nations, Métis and Inuit language, culture or teaching development course.

Alberta’s government is working to make post-secondary education more accessible for Indigenous learners. A range of supports are available, including:

• Indigenous student supports: Provides financial assistance in Alberta’s adult learning system.
• Foundational Learning Assistance: Provides funding for First Nations colleges and other Indigenous training providers to cover tuition, fees, books, supplies and living allowances for upgrading and integrated training programs.
• Advanced Education offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support Indigenous learners. These include the Belcourt-Brosseau Métis Awards; Indigenous Careers Award; First Nations, Métis and Inuit Bursary; First Nations, Métis and Inuit Languages Teacher Bursary; and the Theodore R. Campbell Scholarship. The Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship also dedicates a portion of the overall funding to recognize outstanding academic achievement of Indigenous students pursuing graduate studies in Alberta.
• CAREERS: Delivers programs such as the Indigenous Youth Internship Program, which connects Indigenous youth with career pathways through school, community and industry collaboration.
• Indigenous Post-secondary Mental Health Grant: Available to First Nations colleges and mainstream institutions to promote mental wellness and accessible supports.
• Alberta at Work strategy: Provides funding which supports First Nations Colleges, public post-secondary institutions and Independent Academic Institutions to expand high-demand programs, increase available seats and strengthen wrap-around supports for Indigenous learners.
• Indigenous youth in care and young adults who received child intervention services may be eligible for the Advancing Futures program. The program supports young adults transitioning out of care to access post-secondary opportunities and obtain a career by providing social supports and funding for educational fees, monthly living allowances and supplemental benefits.
• Project Funding: Helps Indigenous institutions offer programs with an Indigenous focus.

Advanced Education collaborates with other ministries, the federal government, post-secondary institutions, learning providers, governments, communities, organizations and other partners to improve access to adult and post-secondary education and to enhance the overall experience of Indigenous learners.

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

An advanced Indigenous cultural protocol training course is also available. These courses help Alberta’s public service better promote, represent, understand and work with Indigenous Peoples in the province.

The Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) is a Crown Corporation that helps create new, long-term revenue streams for Indigenous communities by providing low-cost loan guarantees for large, low-risk investments in the natural resources, agriculture, telecommunications, transportation, tourism, health care and technology sectors.

Alberta’s government launched a long-term provincial Tourism Sector Strategy that includes a focus on Indigenous tourism. In addition to helping Indigenous Peoples share their rich cultures and histories with travellers from around the world, the focus on Indigenous tourism helps boost community prosperity through economic growth and job creation.

The Aboriginal Business Investment Fund (ABIF) helps Indigenous community-owned businesses create jobs and improve socio-economic outcomes by funding the capital costs of economic development projects.

The Economic Stream of the Indigenous Reconciliation Initiative (IRI) provides flexible funding to help strengthen economic outcomes by funding capacity and opportunity development projects.

The Northern and Regional Economic Development Program funds initiatives from Alberta municipalities, Indigenous communities and non-profit organizations that promote regional economic development and diversification.

The Small Community Opportunity Program provides grants for non-profits, Indigenous and small communities to help build capacity in agriculture, small business and local economic development.

The Employment Partnerships Program (EPP) is a federal-provincial partnership that creates opportunities for Indigenous people through targeted training programs and industry partnerships. It also helps businesses connect with Indigenous workers.

The Alberta Indigenous Intern Program provides First Nations, Inuit and Métis post-secondary graduates with paid, professional work experience in the Alberta Public Service and community organizations.

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

• Alberta’s government collaborates with Indigenous communities to update its policies and practices to support families in ways that connect culture, ceremony, language and history.
• Alberta’s 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.

Alberta's government funds women’s shelters that provide culturally responsive services for Indigenous families impacted by violence. Many Alberta shelters work with Elders and respected Indigenous leaders to strengthen services through trauma-informed education and other culturally relevant training. Various shelters offer cultural connectors that support Indigenous women and children.

Similar to women’s shelters, sexual assault centres provide culturally responsive services and many are working with Elders to enhance programming. The centres have dedicated outreach efforts to engage with Indigenous peoples at community events and through relationship-building with Indigenous organizations.

Alberta's government also provides grant funding to community-based agencies focused on preventing and addressing family and sexual violence, including specific funding for Indigenous-led initiatives. Through the Indigenous-Led Approaches to the Prevention of Family Violence, $2 million was distributed to 12 organizations and communities to support Indigenous-led projects, programs and services that prioritize Indigenous Peoples and communities, with a focus on women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, to prevent root causes of family violence before it occurs.

Additionally, the Family Violence Info Line is available 24/7 in all Indigenous languages spoken in Canada and is offered to everyone living in Alberta. The Family Violence Info Line can be reached by calling or texting 310-1818 or by visiting the confidential webchat at Safety Chat.

The apology to survivors and families was delivered from the Alberta legislature on May 28, 2018. Alberta’s government continues to work with the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta to help shape how government can meaningfully promote awareness and healing.

The Indigenous Cultural Understanding Framework was developed and informed by Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers and is used to educate Children and Family Services’ staff about Indigenous histories, cultures, perspectives and worldviews. In support of this learning, the Kihêw Resource Room was established to provide staff with access to culturally relevant resources that reflect diverse Indigenous worldviews. 

The Framework and the Kihêw Resource Room help inform the work of Children and Family Services to support better outcomes for Indigenous youth and families. The Kihêw Resource Room is accessible to all Alberta Public Services (APS) staff.

Family Resource Networks (FRNs) provide supports and services to help families in Alberta become resilient, strong and healthy. Community-based agencies in the FRN program deliver prevention and early intervention services and supports for children, youth and their families.

All FRNs strive to deliver culturally responsive supports to any individual in Alberta seeking services; however, some FRNs offer programming tailored to Indigenous communities.

In addition to services delivered through the FRN program, Alberta’s government funds a range of initiatives to help young people build skills, confidence and connections. This includes mentoring initiatives that reach a broad spectrum of youth, including Indigenous youth, youth transitioning out of government care and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.

The Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program funds community-led and culturally relevant projects to increase access to mental-health supports, services and training; raise awareness and provide education, support research; data collection and knowledge sharing; and reduce access to the means of suicide. This includes funding for programs specifically designed to address the unique needs of Indigenous youth, incorporating culturally grounded approaches and Indigenous ways of knowing.

• Children and Family Services has a responsibility to ensure Indigenous communities are involved earlier in planning and to support enhanced family searching and cultural connection.
• If a child cannot remain safely in their own home, kinship care is always viewed as the first placement option to maintain connections between the child and family. In June 2024, Alberta’s government implemented a culturally responsive approach to assessing and supporting kinship caregivers. Staff training is co-facilitated with Indigenous Elders and an Indigenous worldview is intentionally introduced throughout the tools and practice.
• Children and Family Services child intervention practitioners ensure a cultural plan is developed and adhered to for every Indigenous child and youth in care to maintain and build connections with extended family and community.
• Children and Family Services child intervention and Transition to Adulthood program practitioners support Indigenous children, youth in care and young adults from care to develop a cultural plan to maintain and build connections with extended family and community.
• Children and Family Services recruits, trains and supports foster caregivers who can support positive cultural and community connections for Indigenous children in their care. Child intervention practitioners are guided by a practice framework that includes principles focused on Indigenous experiences, family preservation, a strengths-based approach, connection, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Through a partnership with Indigenous Services Canada, Children and Family Services has improved the identification process to ensure Indigenous children and youth in care and young adults transitioning out of care receive culturally appropriate supports and services. Identification supports Indigenous children, youth, young adults and their families in pursuing status under the Indian Act, which leads to better outcomes for connection to family, culture and community.

Alberta’s government shares child intervention data and information with the public. Statistics about children in care are publicly accessible at child intervention information and statistics summary and are updated regularly.

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

Children and Family Services is committed to working with First Nations to transfer authority as they exercise jurisdiction over child and family services under federal legislation: An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families.

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 since 2004. The museum is in the midst of an engagement process that will result in a new Repatriation Framework. This Framework will provide a transparent and accessible mechanism to repatriate objects to all First Nations and Indigenous communities in Alberta.

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 follows protocols provided by Elders and Knowledge Keepers regarding how to handle, care for and provide access to the collection. Museum staff facilitate collections visits for community members on an ongoing basis.

The Royal Alberta Museum and Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump provide 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 Indigenous place names in Alberta.

A web map of Alberta’s geographical place names was launched in January 2025 and includes the history and insight of new and traditional names across the province.

Alberta’s government has also created a new building naming policy that recognizes the importance of Indigenous place-naming.

The Cultural Stream of the Indigenous Reconciliation Initiative supports Indigenous-led initiatives that promote, protect or revitalize Indigenous languages, heritage, cultures and arts. 

Alberta’s government also provided funding to help 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.

Through participation in the Education sub-table of the Blackfoot Confederacy Protocol Agreement, Alberta’s 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.

The Prairie Indigenous E-Book Collection is a first-of-its-kind partnership between Alberta’s government and the Book Publishers of Alberta. Stories by Indigenous authors and writing about Indigenous cultures are now easier to find. Works in this collection are available for online borrowing from local libraries 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. 

Alberta’s government provides targeted funding for mental health supports to help Indigenous people navigate through intergenerational trauma. This includes ongoing funding for the Indigenous Wellness Core.

Alberta's 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. The listing identifies the nature and locations of historic resources on the landscape and helps to ensure that these resources are properly managed throughout their development.

The Provincial Archives of Alberta supports the research efforts of Indigenous individuals 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. 

The Premier’s Council on MMIWG2S+ was established to ensure the advice and lived experiences of Indigenous women, girls and 2 spirit plus (2S+) people inform actions Alberta’s government undertakes to address and prevent violence.

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

Alberta’s government funds initiatives that support the safety and well-being of Indigenous women, girls and 2S+ people. For example, annual funding is provided to Esquao: Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women to support Indigenous women’s well-being.

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

The Family Violence Death Review Committee is legislatively mandated under the Protection Against Family Violence Act to review police reported incidents of family violence resulting in deaths and provides advice and recommendations to the Minister respecting the prevention and reduction of family violence. The Committee is currently completing a special report of a review of 11 family violence deaths impacting Indigenous communities.

The First Nations and Métis Women’s Councils on Economic Security provide important advice about meaningful actions Alberta’s government can take to improve the social and economic security of Indigenous women, their families and their communities in Alberta.

Alberta’s government engages with Indigenous communities and organizations to gather their feedback and inform land-use plans.

Alberta's Future Leaders Program collaborates with Indigenous communities in Alberta to provide annual summer youth programs.

The first of its kind in the province, the Anti-Racism Action Plan outlines our commitment to diversity and removing systemic barriers to accessing government programs and services, ensuring people in Alberta have fair access to information, resources, services and opportunities. When developing the plan, we gathered input from people across Alberta, including Indigenous communities, to help ensure future government actions to address racism are effective and inclusive.

Since the launch of the Anti-Racism Action Plan, significant progress has been made, including actions to support community-based organizations and First Nations and Métis groups. This support has helped them to identify and address systemic and social barriers and develop effective community supports. We will continue to listen to and work with racialized individuals and Indigenous peoples while implementing this plan.

A health and safety toolkit was developed to enhance First Nation, Métis and Inuit employer and worker awareness and knowledge of occupational health and safety (OHS) information and resources. The toolkit supplies employers and workers with the tools they need to stay healthy and safe on the job and foster a positive health and safety workplace culture.

Alberta’s Broadband Strategy is helping rural and Indigenous communities connect to high-speed internet, improving digital literacy, supporting livelihoods and increasing access to opportunities around the globe.