DWF Blog

Members of the Board of Trustees and the Senior Leadership Team of The Law Foundation of Ontario recently had the privilege of visiting Fort William First Nation and Thunder Bay, an experience grounded in listening, learning, and building meaningful relationships.

Recent findings, following years of investigation by Brett Forester and CBC Indigenous, have confirmed that the RCMP conducted widespread surveillance of Indigenous leaders and organizations in Canada between the late 1960s and early 1980s. For many Indigenous communities, this confirms what had long been shared through lived experience.

The Independent Assessment Process (IAP) and earlier Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) were compensation processes established under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) for Survivors who experienced abuse in residential schools in Canada. Under a Supreme Court decision, IAP and ADR records are scheduled to be destroyed on September 19, 2027, unless a Survivor chooses otherwise. This timeline is part of a legal ruling to protect privacy and confidentiality.

Bill 5, officially titled the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025, was passed by the Ontario government on June 5, 2025. The legislation makes major changes to 10 provincial laws, including the repeal of the Endangered Species Act, 2007, the Ontario Place Corporation Act, and the creation of a new Special Economic Zones Act.

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) is proud to announce an expanded partnership with Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (CTC). Building on our existing relationship, CTC will now support Oshki Wupoowane | The Blanket Fund (The Blanket Fund), a national initiative that empowers Indigenous and Indigenous-led cultural, artistic, and educational projects and organizations.

To support you on your journey toward reconciliation, DWF has compiled a list of recommended readings to deepen your understanding. Each book offers a unique perspective and insight into Indigenous cultures and experiences.

This reading list showcases works by Two-Spirit authors and artists exploring identity, resilience, and community through memoir, poetry, fiction, and essays, offering vital perspectives on what it means to be Two-Spirit today.

This holiday season, take #reconciliACTION by purchasing gifts from DWF’s Holiday Gift Guide. This guide features Indigenous-owned businesses, a new merch collab with DWF Artist Ambassador Violet Gatensby , and of course, HBC’s iconic Point Blankets, which support Oshki Wupoowane | The Blanket Fund. With options for all budgets and preferences, there is something meaningful for every person on your list.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day are crucial moments for reflection and learning about the true history of Canada and the ongoing impacts of residential schools. To support you on your journey toward reconciliation, DWF has compiled a list of recommended readings to deepen your understanding. Each book offers unique perspective and insight into Indigenous cultures and experiences.

"As an elementary music teacher who is constantly looking for impactful ways to weave Indigenous learning, particularly about residential schools to my students, I came across the song "Run" by Indigenous folk-gospel Juno-award winner, William Prince. Initially chosen for a musical performance for our Terry Fox assembly, when I looked more closely at the lyrics and 'felt' the rawness of the song, I thought of Secret Path, which I had been reading again as we neared Truth and Reconciliation Week."

Content warning: This post contain information about residential schools. This past April, the results of the phase 1 search at Blue Quills were shared in ceremony with the community. The search was led by Dr. Kisha Supernant from the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology.

Content warning: This newsletter contains information about residential schools. Mental health support is available. Today, May 28, marks two years since the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced that preliminary findings indicated the remains of 215+ children were buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Argyle Alternative High School became a Legacy School in May 2021. As an alternative high school, located in the heart of the North End of Winnipeg, on Treaty One Territory and home of the Metis Nation, our student body identifies as mostly Indigenous. Indigenous education is a core value at our school and included in all our programming.

On May 28, we learned about the heartbreaking discovery of 215 children buried at a former residential school on Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc territory in Kamloops, BC. We stand with the Secwépemc community, all the families and communities of these young children, and all those impacted by residential schools in their grief. “It’s really hard when we know what they are going through. We always knew findings would come out one day.” said Daisy Munroe, Chanie Wenjack’s eldest sister.

Early in May, we challenged our Legacy Schools students to design posters that answer the question “What does it mean to be an Indigenous Ally?” They definitely rose to the occasion! We loved all of the posters that were submitted, and it was certainly difficult to select the winners from elementary, middle, and secondary schools. Winners will receive a prize pack from DWF and appear in our Legacy Schools calendar for 2020-2021.

Late January, Mike Downie joined DWF staff in visiting several Legacy Schools; Linwood Public School, Kitchener-Waterloo Vocational & Collegiate Institute (KCI), Waterloo Collegiate Institute (WCI) and Ryerson Public School in Cambridge. Every Legacy School begins the journey to understanding our shared Canadian history from a different place - be it location, age, knowledge - and it was a truly beautiful experience to have the opportunity to visit elementary, middle, and high school students to learn where they are in their journeys.  Conversations were had about the great initiatives students and teachers have been doing, and Mike shared stories about how the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund came to be, the development of Secret Path, and what it means to see the important work being done by students. As Mike stated, "Gord knew we needed to get into schools."

Secret Path Live was an incredibly moving and impactful night for so many people, made even more special thanks to the generous support of the Buy One, Give One (BOGO) ticket purchasers. The BOGO ticket included one complimentary ticket for a Legacy School student or Indigenous youth who could not otherwise afford to attend the show. Through their generous support over 100 students and educators were able to attend, with five groups travelling over 1000km to attend.