Guest post by Shelley Sweeney
I am thrilled to bits to announce that Mr. Ry Moran has joined the University of Manitoba as the Director of the National Research Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Ry brings important experience to this portfolio; he was most recently the Director of Statement Gathering with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) and was in this role since 2010. This has given him complete familiarity with all the issues that need to be addressed to transfer all the records of the TRC to the University. Before his position with the TRC he was the owner of YellowTilt Productions, delivering professional services in a variety of areas including Aboriginal language preservation, oral history, research, event planning, professional communications and event facilitation. This stood him in good stead in his position at the TRC and is extremely important as he begins the consultation process with our many partners.
A bit more about Ry, he has a Bachelor of Arts, Political Science and History, with Distinction, University of Victoria. He is a proud member of the Métis Nation and is fluent in both English and French languages, the last being important to make connections with our francophone colleagues, locally and across the country.
Ry will assume a lead role in liaising and coordinating with Aboriginal communities and Survivor organizations, governments, partners, archivists, external agencies and University departments to establish the Centre. He will also work closely with the Centre’s Governing and Survivor Circles that will be comprised of Survivors, partners and community members.
Here he is in his new digs. Temporary of course! He will soon be moving to what was known as Chancellor’s Hall which in fact used to be the old President’s Residence on campus. This historic brick building overlooks the Red River, and is next to a beautiful, quiet grassy spot where ceremonies can take place. This too will likely be an interim space until a purpose built building can be erected.
You can contact him at Ry.Moran@umanitoba.ca. He would like to hear from you, particularly if you have ideas or thoughts about the new centre. As I’ve said before, the University of Manitoba can’t do this alone. Everyone needs to pull together if we are to truly change things for the better and slowly erase the painful legacy of the residential schools.
Jesse's Thesis 
Are the people in charge of the TRC National Research Centre actively working to erase the legacy of the residential schools?
The University of Manitoba is currently in the process of creating the National Research Centre, which will include partner institutions and Indigenous organizations across Canada. Hiring a director was the first step. Next will be the creation of a Governing Circle and a Survivors’ Circle to provide guidance. We are also working on determining exactly when the records will be coming to the University so we can prepare for an opening likely July 1, 2015 when the TRC’s mandate is completed. But in the meantime we are gathering input, such as what Survivors are interested in and what role our partners will be playing. The ultimate goal is to provide opportunities across the country for Survivors and their families to find information they are seeking, for children to be taught about Residential Schools, for the general public to learn about the Schools and for researchers to continue critical work such as determining the names and ultimate resting places of all the missing children. Reconciliation activities will also be an important component of the new centre and its partners, building on the many events that have already taken and will take place by other organizations and individuals. All of these things will be important contributions to helping erasing the legacy of Residential Schools.