Bishop's University professor receives $1.4 million for national Indigenous reintegration research

SHERBROOKE, QC, June 17, 2026 /CNW/ - Bishop's University is pleased to announce that Dr. Vicki Chartrand, professor of sociology and founding director of the Centre for Community Engaged Justices, has been awarded $1.4 million in funding from Public Safety Canada's Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative. The support will advance a four-year national project based at Bishop's that examines Indigenous community-led approaches to reintegration and healing for people returning home from federal incarceration.

Dr. Vicki Chartrand

Dr. Chartrand's research will help advance models that support Indigenous communities and organizations in designing and applying reintegration processes. Working with partners including Waseskun Healing Centre, the Centre for Community Engaged Justices, and Indigenous communities across the country, the project will document existing practices, identify culturally grounded pathways for healing, and develop practical tools that communities can use to strengthen their own reintegration initiatives.

"Communities have long been developing innovative and culturally grounded approaches to supporting people returning home from prison," says Dr. Chartrand. "This project is about learning from those experiences, sharing that knowledge, and supporting Indigenous communities in advancing their own visions of healing, reintegration, and community well-being."

Funding from Public Safety Canada recognizes Bishop's University's commitment to research that is collaborative, responsive, and grounded in community priorities. It also highlights the university's growing national role in advancing innovative approaches to justice, wellness, and social resilience.

"Being on the traditional lands of the Abenaki nation and considering our strong commitment to reconciliation, Bishop's is proud to see this important and significant work recognized and supported at the national level," said Kerry Hull, Vice-Principal Academic and Research. "As a nationally recognized inclusive institution rooted in close‑knit community and high‑impact teaching, Bishop's is continuing to demonstrate how research grounded in community partnership and human dignity can shape conversations and influence meaningful change."

ABOUT BISHOP'S UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1843 and located on the traditional territory of the Abenaki people (W8banakiak wdakiw8k), Bishop's University is an English-language institution in the Eastern Townships of Québec  -- one of Canada's most distinctive academic settings where studying in English while living in French-speaking Canada is part of the education itself. Our 550-acre campus is home to a highly engaged community where students are challenged to grow beyond what they already know academically, personally, and experientially.

Research and creativity are central to Bishop's University's mission. We empower our faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students to contribute research, scholarly inquiry, innovation, and knowledge creation across diverse fields of study. Our researchers generate new knowledge driven by collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange that has direct relevance and measurable impact for communities, partners, and end users. Our researchers generate new knowledge driven by collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange that has direct relevance and measurable impact for communities, partners, and end users. Our students participate at every stage, from the first lines of inquiry to publishing in peer-reviewed journals.  

Bishop's is home to five Canada Research Chairs, a Jarislowsky Chair, and robust external research funding, anchored by a research culture that pairs rigorous inquiry with close faculty-student mentorship. Innovative and impactful research takes place across Business, Education, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social Sciences. Graduate offerings include a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD), Master's programs in Physics, Computer Science, and Education, and Individualized Master's programs that allow students to pursue research interests in a wide variety of fields.

SOURCE Bishop's University

MEDIA REQUESTS: Annick Lambert, Associate Vice-Principal, Recruitment, Marketing and Communications, Bishop's University, [email protected]