New exhibit explores stories of residential school survivors and families

The Escaping Residential Schools: Running for Their Lives exhibit at Fort Edmonton Park on Friday, June 12, 2026. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton)

A new exhibit at Fort Edmonton Park offers visitors the chance to learn about the history of residential school survivors and their families.

Escaping Residential Schools: Running for Their Lives is a travelling exhibit by the Legacy of Hope Foundation.

The exhibit shares the stories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children who attempted to escape residential schools.

It also highlights the perspectives of family members and communities affected by the school system.

“It’s an opportunity to educate mainstream Canadians on our history, so that we can create an environment where mainstream Canadians are a lot more empathetic and understanding to what we had to endure as the First Peoples in Canada,” said Adam North Peigan, the national president of the foundation.

“We want that day to happen when meaningful reconciliation will come full circle, so that we can feel that we’re equal partners to all Canadians.”

The stories told in the exhibit are “difficult” ones, but it’s important for Fort Edmonton, as a living history museum, not to shy away from those types of stories, according to the park’s director.

“There’s still lots of healing to happen, and we can all heal together and learn together and share that knowledge forward with our communities as well,” said Tannia Franke.

“The atrocities of the past, we don’t want to forget them, we need to remember them, learn from them, so we don’t repeat them.”

The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday and will be at the park until Sept. 7.

Fort Edmonton Park is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., with additional programming after hours on some days.