May 21, 2025

About 300 students from schools across Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools (SD68) took part in the Indigenous Games competition at John Barsby Secondary School this month. The event was formerly referred to as the Northern Games, but was re-branded as the Indigenous Games this year and infused with Coast Salish games. Among the games played at the competition were Cariboo Carry, Lahal, and Musk Ox. Students from every secondary school in the district participated, according to Nanaimo News Now. “Our whole purpose is to build community, have a good time, and then give students the opportunity to see some different games and participate in them too,” explained John Barsby Indigenous Education Support Teacher Jacob Thom. Snaw-naw-as First Nation Elder Jimmy Bob—who attended the event to cheer on his great-grandson—praised the event for promoting sports and the theme of working together.

Several schools took part in the Moose Hide Campaign—an Indigenous-led movement started by Raven and Paul Lacerte of the Carrier People—to commit to being part of the solution of ending gender-based violence. School districts such as the Calgary Catholic School District and Waterloo Catholic District School Board shared resources and information about the day with their staff and students. Numerous postsecondary institutions across Canada participated in the campaign as designated Moose Hide Campaign ambassador campuses, where they raised flags, held campus walks, and/or offered dedicated training. “It means we pledge our commitment to reconciliation and addressing violence on campus,” said Assiniboine College Parkland Campus Director Carol Stewart of the designation. “As part of our vision, no woman should be made to feel to feel unsafe or experience abuse or violence on their college campus.”

The University of Ottawa is launching a full tuition waiver for all current and incoming Algonquin Anishinàbeg Nation students, beginning this Fall. The university is seated on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinàbeg Nation, whose traditional lands span western Québec and Ontario. As part of the university’s broader Indigenization efforts, the waiver is intended to reduce financial barriers for Indigenous members of the community and facilitate their access to postsecondary education. “The students feel more welcome on campus, the community feels respected,” said UOttawa Director of Indigenous Affairs Tareyn Johnson, who is Anishnaabe from Georgina Island First Nation. “It’s an homage that we owe the Algonquin people since we’re on their territory to offer their students the opportunity to come here, free of tuition.”

Kativik Ilisarniliriniq has reached agreements with the unions representing its education professionals, staff, and teachers. The new contract with the Union of Education Professionals of Nunavik and Montreal West—representing education professionals—will be effective from 2023 to 2028. It includes retention premiums for locally hired staff, food transportation, and a housing allowance. The agreement in principle between Kativik Ilisarniliriniq and the Association of Employees of Northern Quebec brings to an end two years of negotiations. The union—representing teachers and support staff—has cancelled its planned strike. The terms of the agreement have not been shared publicly at the time of writing.

Statistics Canada has released data and an infographic on the use of Inuktut among Inuit living in Nunavut. The data is drawn from the 2021 Census and the Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS), which was conducted in 2017 and 2022. Both surveys showed that the majority of the territory’s Inuit population knew and used Inuktut, but that usage and ability to speak Inuktut “very well” was less common among younger Inuit. The Census noted that 70% of all people in Nunavut—81% of Inuit and 9% of non-Inuit—have knowledge of Inuktut, with 48% of people reporting that it was the language spoken most at home. The IPS found that most Inuit children were exposed to Inuktut on a daily basis at home; 90% of Inuit children aged 6 to 14 said that they had been taught Inuktut at school.

Nicola Valley Institute of Technology has launched a two-year Indigenous Business Diploma that blends Indigenous knowledge with business education. Rooted in the Syilx Nation’s Four Food Chiefs teachings, the program uses traditional stories to connect business learning with community well-being, relational accountability, and sustainability. “Those stories are called captikʷł , or Storywork, and they are our laws and protocols—everything we need to know to live as a people,” said NVIT Elder Casey Holmes (Upper Nicola Indian Band). The curriculum follows a seasonal structure—each term reflecting the values of one of the Four Food Chiefs—and covers topics such as governance, economic sovereignty, and land stewardship. The first intake begins in Fall 2025.

Mamu Tshishkutamashutau Innu Education has officially announced that it will offer an Innu-aimun immersion kindergarten program at its schools this Fall. Parents enrolling their children in the Sheshatshiu Innu School will have the option of registering them in either English or Innu-aimun immersion classes; parents who register their children for the Mushuau Innu Natuashish School will only have the option of the immersion classes. The program follows the Newfoundland and Labrador Schools curriculum, according to The Independent, with added Innu culture. “There’s a lot of English everywhere, so we don’t need that,” said MTIE Curriculum Developer Francesca Snow. “They need to teach the kids their own language, or they will lose the language.” Snow said she hopes to develop the curriculum for up to Grade 3 in the Innu-aimun immersion program, so that students can study in their own language during their developmental years.

Three schools in the St Clair Catholic District School Board recently unveiled new Indigenous art installations that were created with Anishinaabe artists. Students from Holy Family Catholic School, Christ the King Catholic School, and St Elizabeth Catholic School each had the opportunity to collaborate with all three artists: Cedric Isaac of Bkejwanong Territory, John Williams of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, and Moses Lunham of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation. “Students from kindergarten all the way to Grade 8 had the chance to be involved in the entire process,” explained SCCDSB Indigenous Education Lead Cortnee Goure. “Everything from drawing the art, all the way to painting the art.” Each piece reflects the identity of the school it is displayed in and embodies the shared learning, respect for the land, and voices of those who call the region home. Each unveiling ceremony included music, prayer, remarks from the artists, and a short video documenting the creative process.

The University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business has received a $1M grant to expand its Ch’nook Management Program, which supports Indigenous entrepreneurs and small business owners. The program provides Indigenous business leaders with skills, culturally-aligned education, and mentorship to help them build community-led businesses. With the grant, the program will be able to support about 150 participants annually. “A thriving Indigenous economy is essential to reconciliation, and this grant empowers us to take meaningful action in fostering the next generation of Indigenous business leaders,” explained UBC Sauder Executive Director of Indigenous Business Initiatives Dennis Thomas-Whonoak.

The Government of Saskatchewan’s Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has officially launched the Indigenous Workforce Program and welcomed its inaugural cohort of students to the renamed Kiskiyihta Summer Student Programs. The workforce program is focused on increasing the recruitment and retention of Indigenous employees at the research council. As part of this workforce program, Kiskiyihta will provide Indigenous postsecondary students in SK with opportunities to practice their skills and work in the SRC’s specialized research environment. “We want to be an employer of choice for Indigenous Peoples by providing unique job experiences they may not have had prior access to,” said SRC President and CEO Mike Crabtree. “Our goal is to engage and empower Indigenous Peoples so they can thrive in a culturally safe workplace and achieve their professional goals.” Four students are participating in the inaugural program.