Charles Camsell Indian Hospital

Edmonton, Canada

Charles Camsell Hospital served as a hospital for treating Native Americans with tuberculosis (Archives Society of Alberta, n.d.), however, it was also a site where Native Americans were involuntarily sterilized(Meijer Drees, 2013). Major Indian Hospitals included the Nanaimo Indian Hospital, and Charles Camsell Hospital. The hospital closed in 1996, and a number of Class Action law suits were pressed against the government in the late 1990s (Sinclair, 2012).

Charles Camsell Hospital was founded in 1913 in Edmonton, Alberta, and originally functioned as a Jesuit College for boys. In 1942, the building was bought and operated by the American Army during the building of the Alaska Highway, and in 1944, it was sold again to the Government of Canada. The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps began to use the building as a hospital. In 1945, the hospital was inspected and approved for conversion to a tuberculosis hospital for Inuit and other First Nations groups in Alberta, the Yukon, and parts of the Northwest Territories.

The hospital was jointly run by the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and Indian Health Services, and in 1946, the hospital was named after Dr. Charles Camsell, a geologist and Deputy Minister of Mines and Resources from 1920 to 1946. In 1964, a a new building was completed for the hospital, and the old college was demolished in 1967. During the 1970s, the hospital moved towards general treatment of a broader population, and in 1992, the hospital merged with the Royal Alexandra Hospital. The Charles Camsell Hospital was officially closed in 1996, although the building still stands in Edmonton. Many sites exist on the web, claiming the hospital is haunted.

Although the hospital was meant to treat tuberculosis, the Charles Camsell Hospital was also a site where patients were subjected to research. Many First Nations people were sterilized at the Charles Camsell Hospital (Meijer Dress, L., 2013), between the 1960s and the 1980s. The Charles Camsell Hospital is also often linked to the "Sixties Scoop", where children of Aboriginal peoples were fostered or adopted out, usually to non-Aboriginal families, contributing to the loss of Aboriginal culture (Sinclair, 2012).

As of the late 1990s, the Government of the Northwest Territories created a program to encourage sterilization victims to come forward, and a settlement was offered on a case-by-case basis. The Charles Camsell Hospital was specifically cited in publications requesting victims come forward.

-Colette Leung

Charles Camsell Indian Hospital

Edmonton, Canada

Charles Camsell Hospital served as a hospital for treating Native Americans with tuberculosis (Archives Society of Alberta, n.d.), however, it was also a site where Native Americans were involuntarily sterilized(Meijer Drees, 2013). Major Indian Hospitals included the Nanaimo Indian Hospital, and Charles Camsell Hospital. The hospital closed in 1996, and a number of Class Action law suits were pressed against the government in the late 1990s (Sinclair, 2012).

Charles Camsell Hospital was founded in 1913 in Edmonton, Alberta, and originally functioned as a Jesuit College for boys. In 1942, the building was bought and operated by the American Army during the building of the Alaska Highway, and in 1944, it was sold again to the Government of Canada. The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps began to use the building as a hospital. In 1945, the hospital was inspected and approved for conversion to a tuberculosis hospital for Inuit and other First Nations groups in Alberta, the Yukon, and parts of the Northwest Territories.

The hospital was jointly run by the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and Indian Health Services, and in 1946, the hospital was named after Dr. Charles Camsell, a geologist and Deputy Minister of Mines and Resources from 1920 to 1946. In 1964, a a new building was completed for the hospital, and the old college was demolished in 1967. During the 1970s, the hospital moved towards general treatment of a broader population, and in 1992, the hospital merged with the Royal Alexandra Hospital. The Charles Camsell Hospital was officially closed in 1996, although the building still stands in Edmonton. Many sites exist on the web, claiming the hospital is haunted.

Although the hospital was meant to treat tuberculosis, the Charles Camsell Hospital was also a site where patients were subjected to research. Many First Nations people were sterilized at the Charles Camsell Hospital (Meijer Dress, L., 2013), between the 1960s and the 1980s. The Charles Camsell Hospital is also often linked to the "Sixties Scoop", where children of Aboriginal peoples were fostered or adopted out, usually to non-Aboriginal families, contributing to the loss of Aboriginal culture (Sinclair, 2012).

As of the late 1990s, the Government of the Northwest Territories created a program to encourage sterilization victims to come forward, and a settlement was offered on a case-by-case basis. The Charles Camsell Hospital was specifically cited in publications requesting victims come forward.

-Colette Leung