Vital-Justin Grandin

Vital-Justin Grandin was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop labelled as a key architect of the Canadian Indian residential school system by contemporary mainstream and Catholic news sources, which has been considered an instrument of cultural genocide. In June 2021, this led to governments and private businesses to begin removing his name from institutions and infrastructure previously named for him. He served the Church in the western parts of what is now Canada both before and after Confederation. He is also the namesake or co-founder of various small communities and neighbourhoods in what is now Alberta, Canada, especially those of francophone residents.

8 February 1829

Born on the same birth day (8 February): Balram Singh Rai • Claro M. Recto • Daniele Barbaro • Edith Evans • Hakan Çalhanoğlu • Harry Wu • Mohammad Azharuddin • Sebastião Salgado • Stephanie Courtney • Steve Gohouri

Born in the same month (February 1829): Alfred Brehm • Joseph Auguste Émile Vaudremer • Julius von Szymanowski • Levi Strauss • William Stanley (inventor)