Dr. Peter Bryce

Dr. Peter Bryce was a public health pioneer and vocal critic of Canada's Indian Residential Schools, which began in the 1830s and operated nationally from 1876 to 1996. Run by Christian institutions and supported by the government, the boarding schools removed Indigenous children from their families and cultures. Disease and abuse were rampant and thousands of children died., Born in Mount Pleasant, Ontario, Bryce trained at the University of Toronto and in Europe. In 1882, he became the first secretary of Ontario's Provincial Board of Health and prepared the Public Health Act of 1884, the first provincial public health act in Canada., In 1904, Bryce became Chief Medical Officer for the federal Indian and Interior departments. He was responsible for the health of Indigenous peoples and new arrivals to Canada., Bryce was critical of residential schools and pushed for better conditions, especially to reduce tuberculosis. In the early 20th century, Indigenous people died of TB at 20 times the national average. In a damning 1907 report, Bryce linked poor conditions and negligent management to the high death rates at residential schools. His report was not published, but copies were leaked to the press., Despite Dr. Bryce's criticism and advice, little changed. He retired in 1921 but continued to condemn government policy, publishing a pamphlet titled The Story of a National Crime in 1922.