Item R00000601 - Quarterly Return

Brandon Indian Residential School (IRS) was located approximately 3 miles northwest of Brandon in southwestern Manitoba on the north bank of the Assiniboine River. It operated from 1895 – 1972 (77 years) and was converted to a student residence in 1967 and remained so until it closed, and students began attending local day schools in Brandon.

Other names identifying the school include Brandon Industrial School (1895 - 1925), Brandon Industrial Residential School (1926 - 1967), Brandon Residence for Indian Children (1967 - 1969), and Brandon Student Residence (1968 - 1972).

The Government of Canada was responsible for its funding, which was managed and operated by the Methodist Missionary Society/Methodist Church from 1895 - 1926. The United Church of Canada/United Church Board of Home Missions managed and operated it from 1926 - 1970. The federal government signed an agreement with the United Church of Canada for its operation. In September 1970, the management and operation of the Brandon Student Residence were transferred to the Roman Catholic Oblate Indian and Eskimo Commission (INDIANESCOM).

In July 1929, the IRS closed for a year while a new residence building was constructed. During that year, 83 students were transferred to the Edmonton IRS while the remaining students were returned home to attend day schools. In 1968, only one class was operating, and by that November, students were attending local day schools (non-federal) in Brandon. Additional students from other Roman Catholic IRSs were placed at the Brandon school during 1970 - 1971 because the other schools (Pine Creek IRS, Fort Alexander IRS, and Sandy Bay IRS) closed, and Brandon IRS had fewer than 50 students. When the school closed in June 1972, 12 students were transferred to the Guy Hill IRS in The Pas.

No information can be found regarding grades offered from 1895 - 1941 except for the school years – 1913/14 (grades 1 to 6) and 1938/39 (kindergarten, grades 1 to 12). From 1941 - 1954, the school went up to grade 8, then from 1954 - 1959, the school only went up to grade 6. From 1959, the grades offered slowly dwindled to only grade 1 in 1967.

Students attending Brandon Collegiate were sporadic from 1917 - 1951 (4 students), then in 1955, attendance increased with a high of 130 in 1966 and a low of 4 in 1972. Attendance totals are not known for 1969 and 1971, but high school students attended the City of Brandon schools. No enrolment statistics can be found for the years 1897 - 1930 nor the years 1931 - 1949 and, strangely, for the 1970/71 school year. Enrolment statistics range from a low of 54 for the two years, 1895 -1897, to a high of 200 in 1966.