This engagement session was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on June 9, 2026 as part of the Federal Indian Hospitals Foundation engagement process. The session was conducted as a roundtable. It opened with the sharing of medicines and prayer led by Elders, followed by participant self-introductions, an overview of the Settlement Agreement, including the engagement process in support of the creation of a future Foundation, facilitated discussion, and closing remarks by Elders. Participants shared first-person accounts of experiences connected to Indian Hospitals and related institutions, together with reflections, advice, and priorities related to the proposed Foundation. Input was a mix of personal narrative and recommendations.

•     Many records from Indian Hospitals do not exist, were handwritten, or cannot be located, in some cases because buildings were destroyed or records were not kept.

•     Individuals’ names may have been changed over time (e.g. through marriage) or been recorded differently by different institutions; in some cases, numbers were assigned to individuals, making records difficult to trace.

•     Difficulty obtaining personal medical records, including records requested but reported as not existing.

•     Claims administrators require support; in previous claims processes e.g., Federal Indian Day Schools and Residential Schools, many people did not realize they were eligible; claims should have remained open longer.

•     Role of records in recognizing experiences and supporting access to the claims process.

•     First-person narratives of being taken from their families as children and placed in Indian Hospitals and sanatoria.

•     Accounts of restrictive conditions, including extended confinement, force-feeding, and separation from family and community.

•     Descriptions of experiences of abuse and mistreatment within hospital settings.

•     Connections between these experiences and the Indian Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools attended by participants and their families.

•     Reflections on the lasting effects of these experiences, including across generations.

•     The need for comprehensive, sustained mental health and addiction supports, including in communities further north.

•     Land-based and culturally grounded healing approaches were priorities identified, including teaching people to live off the land.

•     Importance of follow-up and ongoing support for those who share their experiences.

•     Connection between healing and the mind, body, and culture.

•     Culture as a way of life, including teachings from Elders, family, and the land.

•     Transmission of practices to children, including making igloos, preparing dried meat and smoked fish, and harvesting.

•     Identity was connected to healing and described as foundational.

•     Importance of Indigenous languages, including in institutional settings.

•     Descriptions of racism within the healthcare system, including in treatment and staffing.

•     Barriers to healthcare access for northern and remote communities, including travel for dialysis and treatment due to a lack of local technicians.

•     The need for Indigenous-led primary care and Indigenous staff on the front line, including to explain medications to patients at discharge, especially in their Indigenous languages.

•     The need to retain people in care rather than discharging them prematurely.

•     Commemoration options, including buildings, plaques, and a museum dedicated to the history of Indian hospitals.

•     Preserving history through linking archives and records.

•     Locating burial sites and recognizing unmarked graves connected to hospitals as a priority.

•     Suggestions included naming a medical school, or units in hospital, e.g., dialysis unit, as a legacy and documenting stories and testimonies across regions.

•     Participants noted that the general public is unaware of the segregated Hospital system that existed for Indigenous people; and education about the history of Indian hospitals is part of prevention.

•     Participants encouraged programs supporting Indigenous youth entering healthcare and other fields.

•     Supporting and funding students, including those pursuing higher education, especially in the sciences; and concerns about funding-eligibility rules.

•     Focusing on ensuring conditions are better for future generations, including providing opportunity for children to participate in land-based learning.

•     The Foundation’s funding model, including questions about spending only the interest versus spending the fund over a defined period.

•     Recommendation to provide honoraria for engagement participants, and to pay people for their knowledge.

•     Comparisons were drawn to the former Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF), including its funding and duration.

•     Need for Elder involvement, Survivors/descendants, and regional representation in the Foundation’s work.

•     The sustainability and longevity of the Foundation, including the view that it will outlive current participants, thus the need for legacy investments.

•     Questions about whether all affected hospitals – not only the Hospitals under the Settlement Agreement – are included.

•     Communities further north require dedicated resources, including for mental health, harvesting, and cultural programming.

•     Meetings are often held in larger centres (e.g. Iqaluit, Yellowknife) and more northern and remote participants can be disadvantaged.

•     Request that materials be provided in advance of engagement sessions to support informed participation.

•     The distinct experiences and circumstances of Inuit, and Northern communities.

•     The absence or loss of records was a recurring concern, affecting both recognition of experiences and access to the claims process.

•     The importance of Indigenous-led healing — including land-based and culturally grounded approaches — alongside sustained mental health and addiction supports.

•     Racism within the healthcare system and barriers to healthcare access, particularly for northern and remote communities.

•     Indigenous staffing, Indigenous-led primary care, and supporting youth to enter healthcare fields.

•     Commemoration, preservation of history, and locating/recognizing burial sites connected to hospitals were priorities.

•     Education about the history of Indian Hospitals as part of prevention.

•     Elder involvement, leadership, regional representation, and questions about the Foundation’s funding model and longevity were important considerations in discussions of its design.

•     Northern and remote communities require dedicated resources and consideration, including advance materials and culturally grounded programming.

This engagement session was held i Winnipeg, Manitoba on June 9, 2026 as part of the Federal Indian Hospitals Foundation engagement process. The session was conducted as a roundtable. It opened with the sharing of medicines and prayer led by Elders, followed by participant self-introductions, an overview of the Settlement Agreement, including the engagement process in support of the creation of a future Foundation, facilitated discussion, and closing remarks by Elders. Participants shared first-person accounts of experiences connected to Indian Hospitals and related institutions, together with reflections, advice, and priorities related to the proposed Foundation. Input was a mix of personal narrative and recommendations.

•     Many records from Indian Hospitals do not exist, were handwritten, or cannot be located, in some cases because buildings were destroyed or records were not kept.

•     Individuals’ names may have been changed over time (e.g. through marriage) or been recorded differently by different institutions; in some cases, numbers were assigned to individuals, making records difficult to trace.

•     Difficulty obtaining personal medical records, including records requested but reported as not existing.

•     Claims administrators require support; in previous claims processes e.g., Federal Indian Day Schools and Residential Schools, many people did not realize they were eligible; claims should have remained open longer.

•     Role of records in recognizing experiences and supporting access to the claims process.

•     First-person narratives of being taken from their families as children and placed in Indian Hospitals and sanatoria.

•     Accounts of restrictive conditions, including extended confinement, force-feeding, and separation from family and community.

•     Descriptions of experiences of abuse and mistreatment within hospital settings.

•     Connections between these experiences and the Indian Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools attended by participants and their families.

•     Reflections on the lasting effects of these experiences, including across generations.

•     The need for comprehensive, sustained mental health and addiction supports, including in communities further north.

•     Land-based and culturally grounded healing approaches were priorities identified, including teaching people to live off the land.

•     Importance of follow-up and ongoing support for those who share their experiences.

•     Connection between healing and the mind, body, and culture.

•     Culture as a way of life, including teachings from Elders, family, and the land.

•     Transmission of practices to children, including making igloos, preparing dried meat and smoked fish, and harvesting.

•     Identity was connected to healing and described as foundational.

•     Importance of Indigenous languages, including in institutional settings.

•     Descriptions of racism within the healthcare system, including in treatment and staffing.

•     Barriers to healthcare access for northern and remote communities, including travel for dialysis and treatment due to a lack of local technicians.

•     The need for Indigenous-led primary care and Indigenous staff on the front line, including to explain medications to patients at discharge, especially in their Indigenous languages.

•     The need to retain people in care rather than discharging them prematurely.

•     Commemoration options, including buildings, plaques, and a museum dedicated to the history of Indian hospitals.

•     Preserving history through linking archives and records.

•     Locating burial sites and recognizing unmarked graves connected to hospitals as a priority.

•     Suggestions included naming a medical school, or units in hospital, e.g., dialysis unit, as a legacy and documenting stories and testimonies across regions.

•     Participants noted that the general public is unaware of the segregated Hospital system that existed for Indigenous people; and education about the history of Indian hospitals is part of prevention.

•     Participants encouraged programs supporting Indigenous youth entering healthcare and other fields.

•     Supporting and funding students, including those pursuing higher education, especially in the sciences; and concerns about funding-eligibility rules.

•     Focusing on ensuring conditions are better for future generations, including providing opportunity for children to participate in land-based learning.

•     The Foundation’s funding model, including questions about spending only the interest versus spending the fund over a defined period.

•     Recommendation to provide honoraria for engagement participants, and to pay people for their knowledge.

•     Comparisons were drawn to the former Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF), including its funding and duration.

•     Need for Elder involvement, Survivors/descendants, and regional representation in the Foundation’s work.

•     The sustainability and longevity of the Foundation, including the view that it will outlive current participants, thus the need for legacy investments.

•     Questions about whether all affected hospitals – not only the Hospitals under the Settlement Agreement – are included.

•     Communities further north require dedicated resources, including for mental health, harvesting, and cultural programming.

•     Meetings are often held in larger centres (e.g. Iqaluit, Yellowknife) and more northern and remote participants can be disadvantaged.

•     Request that materials be provided in advance of engagement sessions to support informed participation.

•     The distinct experiences and circumstances of Inuit, and Northern communities.

•     The absence or loss of records was a recurring concern, affecting both recognition of experiences and access to the claims process.

•     The importance of Indigenous-led healing — including land-based and culturally grounded approaches — alongside sustained mental health and addiction supports.

•     Racism within the healthcare system and barriers to healthcare access, particularly for northern and remote communities.

•     Indigenous staffing, Indigenous-led primary care, and supporting youth to enter healthcare fields.

•     Commemoration, preservation of history, and locating/recognizing burial sites connected to hospitals were priorities.

•     Education about the history of Indian Hospitals as part of prevention.

•     Elder involvement, leadership, regional representation, and questions about the Foundation’s funding model and longevity were important considerations in discussions of its design.

•     Northern and remote communities require dedicated resources and consideration, including advance materials and culturally grounded programming.

This engagement session was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on June 9, 2026 as part of the Federal Indian Hospitals Foundation engagement process. The session was conducted as a roundtable. It opened with the sharing of medicines and prayer led by Elders, followed by participant self-introductions, an overview of the Settlement Agreement, including the engagement process in support of the creation of a future Foundation, facilitated discussion, and closing remarks by Elders. Participants shared first-person accounts of experiences connected to Indian Hospitals and related institutions, together with reflections, advice, and priorities related to the proposed Foundation. Input was a mix of personal narrative and recommendations.

•     Many records from Indian Hospitals do not exist, were handwritten, or cannot be located, in some cases because buildings were destroyed or records were not kept.

•     Individuals’ names may have been changed over time (e.g. through marriage) or been recorded differently by different institutions; in some cases, numbers were assigned to individuals, making records difficult to trace.

•     Difficulty obtaining personal medical records, including records requested but reported as not existing.
•     Claims administrators require support; in previous claims processes e.g., Federal Indian Day Schools and Residential Schools, many people did not realize they were eligible; claims should have remained open longer.
•     Role of records in recognizing experiences and supporting access to the claims process.

Experiences in Indian Hospitals and Related Institutions
•     First-person narratives of being taken from their families as children and placed in Indian Hospitals and sanatoria.
•     Accounts of restrictive conditions, including extended confinement, force-feeding, and separation from family and community.
•     Descriptions of experiences of abuse and mistreatment within hospital settings.
•     Connections between these experiences and the Indian Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools attended by participants and their families.
•     Reflections on the lasting effects of these experiences, including across generations.

Healing, Mental Health, and Wellness
•     The need for comprehensive, sustained mental health and addiction supports, including in communities further north.
•     Land-based and culturally grounded healing approaches were priorities identified, including teaching people to live off the land.
•     Importance of follow-up and ongoing support for those who share their experiences.
•     Connection between healing and the mind, body, and culture.

Culture, Language, Identity, and Connection to Land
•     Culture as a way of life, including teachings from Elders, family, and the land.
•     Transmission of practices to children, including making igloos, preparing dried meat and smoked fish, and harvesting.
•     Identity was connected to healing and described as foundational.
•     Importance of Indigenous languages, including in institutional settings.

Healthcare Access, Systemic Racism, and Indigenous-Led Care
•     Descriptions of racism within the healthcare system, including in treatment and staffing.
•     Barriers to healthcare access for northern and remote communities, including travel for dialysis and treatment due to a lack of local technicians.
•     The need for Indigenous-led primary care and Indigenous staff on the front line, including to explain medications to patients at discharge, especially in their Indigenous languages.
•     The need to retain people in care rather than discharging them prematurely.

Commemoration, Research, and Preservation of History
•     Commemoration options, including buildings, plaques, and a museum dedicated to the history of Indian hospitals.
•     Preserving history through linking archives and records.
•     Locating burial sites and recognizing unmarked graves connected to hospitals as a priority.
•     Suggestions included naming a medical school, or units in hospital, e.g., dialysis unit, as a legacy and documenting stories and testimonies across regions.
•     Participants noted that the general public is unaware of the segregated Hospital system that existed for Indigenous people; and education about the history of Indian hospitals is part of prevention.

Youth, Education, and Future Generations
•     Participants encouraged programs supporting Indigenous youth entering healthcare and other fields.
•     Supporting and funding students, including those pursuing higher education, especially in the sciences; and concerns about funding-eligibility rules.
•     Focusing on ensuring conditions are better for future generations, including providing opportunity for children to participate in land-based learning.

Foundation Design, Funding, and Governance
•     The Foundation’s funding model, including questions about spending only the interest versus spending the fund over a defined period.
•     Recommendation to provide honoraria for engagement participants, and to pay people for their knowledge.
•     Comparisons were drawn to the former Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF), including its funding and duration.
•     Need for Elder involvement, Survivors/descendants, and regional representation in the Foundation’s work.
•     The sustainability and longevity of the Foundation, including the view that it will outlive current participants, thus the need for legacy investments.
•     Questions about whether all affected hospitals – not only the Hospitals under the Settlement Agreement – are included.

Northern and Remote Communities
•     Communities further north require dedicated resources, including for mental health, harvesting, and cultural programming.
•     Meetings are often held in larger centres (e.g. Iqaluit, Yellowknife) and more northern and remote participants can be disadvantaged.
•     Request that materials be provided in advance of engagement sessions to support informed participation.
•     The distinct experiences and circumstances of Inuit, and Northern communities.

•     The absence or loss of records was a recurring concern, affecting both recognition of experiences and access to the claims process.
•     The importance of Indigenous-led healing — including land-based and culturally grounded approaches — alongside sustained mental health and addiction supports.
•     Racism within the healthcare system and barriers to healthcare access, particularly for northern and remote communities.
•     Indigenous staffing, Indigenous-led primary care, and supporting youth to enter healthcare fields.
•     Commemoration, preservation of history, and locating/recognizing burial sites connected to hospitals were priorities.
•     Education about the history of Indian Hospitals as part of prevention.
•     Elder involvement, leadership, regional representation, and questions about the Foundation’s funding model and longevity were important considerations in discussions of its design.
•     Northern and remote communities require dedicated resources and consideration, including advance materials and culturally grounded programming.

This engagement session was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on June 9, 2026 as part of the Federal Indian Hospitals Foundation engagement process. The session was conducted as a roundtable. It opened with the sharing of medicines and prayer led by Elders, followed by participant self-introductions, an overview of the Settlement Agreement, including the engagement process in support of the creation of a future Foundation, facilitated discussion, and closing remarks by Elders. Participants shared first-person accounts of experiences connected to Indian Hospitals and related institutions, together with reflections, advice, and priorities related to the proposed Foundation. Input was a mix of personal narrative and recommendations.

• Many records from Indian Hospitals do not exist, were handwritten, or cannot be located, in some cases because buildings were destroyed or records were not kept.

• Individuals’ names may have been changed over time (e.g. through marriage) or been recorded differently by different institutions; in some cases, numbers were assigned to individuals, making records difficult to trace.

• Difficulty obtaining personal medical records, including records requested but reported as not existing.

• Claims administrators require support; in previous claims processes e.g., Federal Indian Day Schools and Residential Schools, many people did not realize they were eligible; claims should have remained open longer.

• Role of records in recognizing experiences and supporting access to the claims process.

• First-person narratives of being taken from their families as children and placed in Indian Hospitals and sanatoria.

• Accounts of restrictive conditions, including extended confinement, force-feeding, and separation from family and community.

• Descriptions of experiences of abuse and mistreatment within hospital settings.

• Connections between these experiences and the Indian Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools attended by participants and their families.

• Reflections on the lasting effects of these experiences, including across generations.

• The need for comprehensive, sustained mental health and addiction supports, including in communities further north.

• Land-based and culturally grounded healing approaches were priorities identified, including teaching people to live off the land.

• Importance of follow-up and ongoing support for those who share their experiences.

• Connection between healing and the mind, body, and culture.

• Culture as a way of life, including teachings from Elders, family, and the land.

• Transmission of practices to children, including making igloos, preparing dried meat and smoked fish, and harvesting.

• Identity was connected to healing and described as foundational.

• Importance of Indigenous languages, including in institutional settings.

• Descriptions of racism within the healthcare system, including in treatment and staffing.

• Barriers to healthcare access for northern and remote communities, including travel for dialysis and treatment due to a lack of local technicians.

• The need for Indigenous-led primary care and Indigenous staff on the front line, including to explain medications to patients at discharge, especially in their Indigenous languages.

• The need to retain people in care rather than discharging them prematurely.

• Commemoration options, including buildings, plaques, and a museum dedicated to the history of Indian hospitals.

• Preserving history through linking archives and records.

• Locating burial sites and recognizing unmarked graves connected to hospitals as a priority.

• Suggestions included naming a medical school, or units in hospital, e.g., dialysis unit, as a legacy and documenting stories and testimonies across regions.

• Participants noted that the general public is unaware of the segregated Hospital system that existed for Indigenous people; and education about the history of Indian hospitals is part of prevention.

• Participants encouraged programs supporting Indigenous youth entering healthcare and other fields.

• Supporting and funding students, including those pursuing higher education, especially in the sciences; and concerns about funding-eligibility rules.

• Focusing on ensuring conditions are better for future generations, including providing opportunity for children to participate in land-based learning.

• The Foundation’s funding model, including questions about spending only the interest versus spending the fund over a defined period.

• Recommendation to provide honoraria for engagement participants, and to pay people for their knowledge.

• Comparisons were drawn to the former Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF), including its funding and duration.

• Need for Elder involvement, Survivors/descendants, and regional representation in the Foundation’s work.

• The sustainability and longevity of the Foundation, including the view that it will outlive current participants, thus the need for legacy investments.

• Questions about whether all affected hospitals – not only the Hospitals under the Settlement Agreement – are included.

• Communities further north require dedicated resources, including for mental health, harvesting, and cultural programming.

• Meetings are often held in larger centres (e.g. Iqaluit, Yellowknife) and more northern and remote participants can be disadvantaged.

• Request that materials be provided in advance of engagement sessions to support informed participation.

• The distinct experiences and circumstances of Inuit, and Northern communities.

• The absence or loss of records was a recurring concern, affecting both recognition of experiences and access to the claims process.

• The importance of Indigenous-led healing — including land-based and culturally grounded approaches — alongside sustained mental health and addiction supports.

• Racism within the healthcare system and barriers to healthcare access, particularly for northern and remote communities.

• Indigenous staffing, Indigenous-led primary care, and supporting youth to enter healthcare fields.

• Commemoration, preservation of history, and locating/recognizing burial sites connected to hospitals were priorities.

• Education about the history of Indian Hospitals as part of prevention.

• Elder involvement, leadership, regional representation, and questions about the Foundation’s funding model and longevity were important considerations in discussions of its design.

• Northern and remote communities require dedicated resources and consideration, including advance materials and culturally grounded programming.