SLC, Queen’s, YorkU announce policy, procedure shifts to support reconciliation, Indigenous community members

St Lawrence College, Queen’s University, and York University have each recently announced changes to their policies and procedures in order to support reconciliation and improve the experience of Indigenous community members. SLC has adopted Confederation College’s Indigenous Learning Outcomes to better incorporate Indigenous knowledge and understanding into its programs. The ILOs ensure that all students graduate with knowledge and understanding of seven key learning outcomes. Queen’s has announced a new interim Indigenous hiring policy that is based on best practices for verifying Indigenous identity. YorkU has announced that it will launch a fully autonomous Indigenous Research Ethics Board (IREB) this July, which it says is the first of its kind in Canada. The IREB will fully review and approve “all research ethics involving Indigenous Peoples” and will report to the Senate only, according to Sean Hillier, Co-Chair of the Indigenous Council at YorkU.