Historical Context and the Intergenerational Effects of Indian Hospitals in Canada
Join Dr. Georgina Martin for a conversation on Indian Hospitals, as she provides a historical overview that identifies the locations and purpose of these institutions, while also exploring how they operated hand in hand with Residential Schools, with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis often moved between them.
Type of Event:
Non-CAMH Mental Health Events
Date:
February 26, 2026
Time:
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Location:
Sacred Space, CAMH Bell Gateway Building
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100 Stokes Street, 2nd Floor
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Toronto
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ON
Event Overview
Indian Hospitals were a network of racially segregated, federally operated facilities established across Canada. Rather than being designed as centres for comprehensive health and wellness, they were used as tuberculosis sanitariums and for conducting intrusive experiments on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.
Join Dr. Georgina Martin for a conversation on Indian Hospitals, as she provides a historical overview that identifies the locations and purpose of these institutions, while also exploring how they operated hand in hand with Residential Schools, with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis often moved between them.
Born in Coqualeetza Indian Hospital in Sardis, British Columbia, Dr. Georgina Martin has first-hand experience with the effects and outcomes of these hospitals. Her birth in the institution left many personal scars that she shares in her book, Drumming our Way Home: Intergenerational Learning, Teaching, and Indigenous Ways of Knowing. Her books share truths to help others break through the shackles of intergenerational trauma and find their identities.
This event will be available in-person and online and has been developed in collaboration with Shkaabe Makwa at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA).
About Dr. Georgina Martin
Dr. Georgina Martin is Secwepemc and a member of the Williams Lake First Nation. She has been teaching for 10 years in the Department of Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies at Vancouver Island University.
With a rich background in federal and provincial government roles, she has extensive experience in community health, land coordination, and equity initiatives. Her PhD research, Drumming My Way Home: An Intergenerational Narrative Inquiry About Secwepemc Identities, explored the stories of three generations, demonstrating how storytelling fosters stronger identities and opens new pathways for pedagogy and philosophical understanding across disciplines. Her PhD study transformed into a book: Drumming Our way Home: Intergenerational Learning, Teaching, and Indigenous Ways of Knowing.
Dr. Martin’s research focuses on intergenerational trauma, cultural identity, Indigenous self-determination, education, and voice. She is dedicated to reclaiming space for Indigenous peoples by integrating respectful, relevant content into her curriculum and sharing her lived experiences through public lectures that address historical injustices and inspire reconciliation.