October 2, 2024

Schools across Canada recently recognized National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day with events and initiatives. High school students at the Western Québec School Board prepared lesson plans to teach elementary students about residential schools. Georgian College hosted a “Sticks & Stories” event where students built lacrosse sticks while they learned about the game and its Indigenous history. The Buffalo Boys Drum Group visited King George Elementary School in Saskatchewan to teach students about Indigenous culture through activities, song and dance, and traditional storytelling; and students from Barrhead Elementary School and Barrhead Composite High School in Alberta gathered to learn about topics such as the impact of residential schools and the the values represented by the teepee. In British Columbia, School District 27 students visited the arbour at Williams Lake First Nation to hear from residential school survivors.

Sagamok Anishnawbek recently celebrated the grand opening of a new elementary school called Biidaaban Kinoomaagegamik, which will serve children in grades 1-8. The school has everything students will need in one building, including a gymnasium and cafeteria, with access to a nearby natural outdoor space for land-based learning. As a First Nations School, students will learn about their traditions and history as part of their education. The building was designed with colours inspired by nature. The grand opening festivities included a prayer, an honour song, a dedication, and commemorative photos; students attended dressed in ribbon skirts and ribbon shirts sewn by Sagamok’s Grandmas and Aunties Group. “Biidaaban Kinoomaagegamik represents a bright future for the youth of Sagamok Anishnawbek,” commented Terry Sheehan, MP for Sault Ste Marie. “This new school is a foundation for both education and self-determination within the community, where children can build a future rooted in cultural knowledge and strength.”

The University of Lethbridge and Athabasca University have announced changes to their tuition and application fees to improve access to education for Indigenous students. AU has reduced its tuition fees by 10% for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit undergraduate students in Canada as part of its efforts to enhance access and equity for Indigenous students. The change took effect at the start of September. ULethbridge has announced two changes: Application fees have been waived for self-declared Canadian Indigenous students and members of Aamskapi Pikuni, the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, will now be eligible for domestic tuition rates.

The Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district has seen an increase in students who are speaking Island hul’q’umi’num’ from 10% a decade ago to 37% today, according to a report on BC adolescent health released earlier this year. Hul’q’umi’num’ is the main Indigenous language in the district, and Interim superintendent of Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools Laura Tait said that for several years, the district has been building its knowledge and delivery of hul’q’umi’num’ and has been working with partner groups to increase the number of hul’q’umi’num’ teachers. At this time, 17 schools have elders in residence and hul’q’umi’num’ language teachers, and the district has focused on making programs available to schools with a higher number of Indigenous students and schools closer to reserves. Students at some elementary schools are able to receive language instruction every week, while secondary students have hul’q’umi’num’ language courses as separate classes. Tait said that long term, the district would like to consider immersion or hul’q’umi’num’ taught as a second language at the elementary level.

Several postsecondary institutions recently celebrated key milestones in the development of facilities and spaces that will support Indigenous students and learning. Thompson Rivers University recently broke ground on its new $22M Indigenous Education Centre (IEC). The University of Toronto and Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue each inaugurated special outdoor gathering spaces that support teaching, sharing, and reconciliation. The University of Saskatchewan and the University of Manitoba have each unveiled Indigenous student spaces: USask’s College of Education has revitalized its Indian Teacher Education Program’s (ITEP) Indigenous student lounge and renamed it after the founding ITEP director, the late Dr Cecil King; while UManitoba’s College of Nursing opened a lounge for students in the pathway to Indigenous nursing program that sits adjacent to an outdoor medicine garden.

The Toronto Star recently highlighted a new Grade 11 English Course that is being introduced to high schools across the Toronto District School Board. The “Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis and Inuit Voices” course fulfils the mandatory English credit requirement while drawing on poetry, novels, and films by Indigenous creators such as Tanya Talaga and Duke Redbird. “As someone who has Indigenous heritage, it’s so important to hear these voices in the classroom to help understand who you are, to give your own life context and your family’s history context,” said Tobie Loukes, a teacher at the Kapapamahchakwew — Wandering Spirit School. The Toronto Star reports that the new class will be offered at all 114 TDSB high schools by the end of the academic year, and the school board intends to make the course mandatory for all students in the future.

Several Canadian postsecondary institutions took part in the 10th anniversary renewal of the Buffalo Treaty, which was hosted by the Blood Tribe and the International Buffalo Relations Institute. CTV News explains that the treaty—which now involves over 40 different Indigenous nations—focuses on preserving the bison ways through conservation, culture, and education. Lethbridge Polytechnic, Red Crow College, and the University of Lethbridge helped host parts of the 10th Anniversary gathering, where Mount Royal University joined as one of the new signatories. By signing this treaty, MRU is committing to supporting the reintroduction of buffalo herds, protecting natural habitats, and promoting sustainable management. The treaty also strengthens ties between the university and with Indigenous communities.

Several schools have created space for reflection with Indigenous artworks or art installations on campus. Lakehead University introduced an outdoor Every Child Matters installation at the heart of the Thunder Bay campus. The installation features seven white eagle feathers–embodying the Seven Sacred Teachings–on an orange background to commemorate survivors and those who passed away. Indigenous artist Jackie Traverse collaborated with students at Mary Duncan School in Manitoba on a mural drawing attention to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls that was installed on a walking path in the community. Grade 10 students from Whitehorse’s Porter Creek Secondary School created a graphic for orange t-shirts to sell as part of a fundraiser for the Yukon-based Committee on Abuse in Residential Schools. The University of Manitoba installed a heart garden with notes expressing empathy and commitment to reconciliation.

Iroquois Ridge High School will be keeping its name after a school board report found that there are differing perspectives on whether the word “Iroquois” is offensive, reports Vancouver Sun. The school board’s staff consulted with families within the school board, Indigenous scholars and elders, members of Six Nations of the Grand River and members of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and advisors from the Ministry of Education. “Some individuals recommend that the term ‘Iroquois’ remain, as it aligns with their individual identity, while others view the term as outdated and pejorative, and suggest that it would be beneficial to replace it. Still others expressed that while they understand the term as pejorative they do not take offence and posited that removing the name amounts to erasure,” read the report. The board opted not to go forward with the renaming process and not to provide a commemorative plaque with information on the name, as the debate had been “divisive.”

Northwestern Polytechnic has renewed its Indigenous Education Protocol, which has been signed by representatives from NWP and the Circle of Indigenous Students. The agreement reaffirms the institution’s commitment to incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing, being, doing, and relating into its educational, organizational, cultural, and social frameworks. Initially signed in 2018, the updated protocol outlines eight guiding principles for the institution to support Indigenous education. “The opportunity to update and formalize a renewed Indigenous Education Protocol for our institution is a great honour,” said NWP President Dr Vanessa Sheane. “Education is a powerful tool for reconciliation and this protocol reflects our commitment to embracing Indigenous knowledge, fostering inclusivity, and ensuring that the voices and perspectives of Indigenous communities are not only integrated but celebrated.”