Milestones on our Journey with Indigenous Peoples

Launched the Truth and Reconciliation Office, lead by Brittanee Laverdure, under a new Indigenous banking banner, RBC Origins, making RBC the first major bank in Canada to do so.

Chinyere Eni is appointed as Head, RBC Indigenous Banking (now RBC Origins)

Proudly sponsored the 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where over 5,000 athletes competed, and 756 Indigenous nations participated with the support of 3,000+ volunteers.

A new Indigenous Trust Financing Program is introduced to enable communities to access capital while preserving financial assets held in sovereign trusts that are earning investment income.

Roberta Jamieson is appointed to the RBC Board of Directors

Commited $250,000 to Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) to help them scale their crisis line to provide 24-hour national support by hiring more traditional healers, assisting recipients in managing their well-being.

RBC offered 4 Seasons of Reconciliation, a nine-module online course providing a history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, as a part of employees’ learning and development.

Opened an agency outlet on Baffin Island in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, extending the network in Indigenous communities to eight full-service branches, five agencies and three commercial banking centres.

RBC Foundation commits $800,000 to TakingITGlobal’s Connected North program, delivering live, interactive learning experiences to 32 remote northern Indigenous high schools.

RBC Foundation becomes signatory to The Circle on Philanthropy’s Declaration of Action on reconciliation commitments

Proudly sponsored the 2014 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Regina, SK, where over 4,000 athletes compete with the support of 2,000+ volunteers.

RBC Foundation contributes $300,000 to Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative, a program aimed at helping Indigenous youth stay in school.

Phil Fontaine, former three-time National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, is appointed as Special Advisor to RBC.

RBC Blue Water Project Leadership Grants totaling more than $1 million are awarded for use in Indigenous communities.

RBC and the Assembly of First Nations sign a Memorandum of Understanding and commit to a two-year action plan addressing access to capital, community and social development, employment, and procurement for First Nations people.

Launched a new On-Reserve Housing Loan Program to assist First Nations members in constructing, purchasing, and renovating homes located in their communities.

Issued The Cost of Doing Nothing — A Call-to-Action and Aboriginal Economic Development report.

Launched an annual educational awards program, RBC Indigenous Student Awards, for students attending university or college in Canada.

Opened RBC’s first full-service branch on a reserve in the Six Nations of the Grand River community at Ohsweken, Ontario

RBC Royal Eagles, an Indigenous-focused employee resource group, is established to enhance cultural awareness and support.

Supported the 1978 Arctic Winter Games held in Hay River, NWT.

A First Nations mural, the largest piece of Indigenous art in Canada, is unveiled at Vancouver’s main branch.

Launched An Introduction to Banking, an educational booklet for Inuit communities in what is now Nunavut.

Opened the first bank branch in Canada’s Arctic Islands in Frobisher Bay, NWT (now Iqaluit, Nunavut).