October 8, 2025

In honour of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR), several schools and institutions across the country held special assemblies and ceremonies, gathered for commemorative walks, and shared learning resources. Schools such as those in the Comox Valley School (CVS) district, Queen’s University, the University of Manitoba, and Yellowquill University College held assemblies, ceremonies, and talks. Community members from Algoma University, CVS district schools, the Delta School District, UManitoba, the University of Prince Edward Island, and other schools gathered for special activities such as talking circles, walks and marches, and themed crafts. Several schools shared books by Indigenous authors in their classes and shared learning resources and reading lists with members of the community who were interested in learning more. Across the country, schools encouraged their staff and students to wear orange for Orange Shirt Day.

Three new schools with names in Indigenous languages and a focus on Indigenous cultures and learners have opened in Saskatchewan. Awâsisak Kâ-Nîmîhtocik St Francis School, which opened in the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools board, is a bilingual English and Cree school with space for up to 700 students from pre-Kindergarten to Grade 9. Nįtélazёtúë Elementary School opened in the Northern Lights School Division. It was built next to Dene High School and can accommodate 475 students from pre-kindergarten to Grade 6. The Tawâw School, in the Regina Public Schools board, welcomed 470 students from pre-kindergarten to Grade 8 this Fall. It is following a curriculum that combines “Cree, Michif, and other Indigenous languages and traditions with modern equitable pedagogy,” according to RPS Trustee Cindy Anderson.

Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC) has commited $950K to providing tuition support to Six Nations students enrolled at Six Nations Polytechnic. The funds will be distributed in $50K increments yearly for the next 19 years. “This commitment will help enrich the community by providing students with the resources they need to complete integral programs at SNP, including Indigenous language programming,” said SNGRDC Executive Director of Corporate Administration Nicole Kohoko. The scholarship marks $2.46M that has been earmarked by SNGRDC for Six Nations postsecondary students to date.

Yellowquill University College has received more than $600K from the Government of Manitoba to support specialized training for Child and Family Services (CFS) staff. The funds will be used to support the First Nations Child and Family Services Worker Diploma Program, a two-year program that provides Indigenous-led training to case managers within Indigenous CFS agencies. “This training will help case managers gain the formal certification and specialized knowledge needed to support children and families, strengthening the foundation of Indigenous-led child welfare on the path to Nations reassuming jurisdiction over child and family services,” said MB Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine.

Students from St Domenic Catholic Secondary School recently constructed a birchbark canoe as part of a recent two-week Indigenous skilled trades course event. The students worked with canoe builders Amber Quakegesic and Chuck Commanda of Kitigan Zibi to construct the canoe from scratch. “[Commanda] teaches so much more than canoe building,” says Conway. “[The students] can ask him anything about Indigenous culture. He’s so friendly. The beauty of it is it is so organic. It’s really exciting to watch.” The canoe was christened as “Widgiiwagan Jiiman,” which means “Friendship Canoe,” by the students, staff, and Commanda. Students, staff, and the canoe builders gathered in Kelvin Grove Park for a ceremony, where they launched the canoe into the Muskoka River.

Prince Edward Island’s K-12 education system has implemented several changes in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, but there is still lots of work to do, reports Stephen Brun of CBC. Brun discusses how PEI’s K-12 system has brought more Indigenous teachings into the school curriculum and lesson plans. Native Council of PEI Political Advisor Bradley Cooper explained that PEI’s smaller provincial population makes for swift public consultation, which in turn allows PEI schools to improve their education system quickly. Looking to what still needs to be done, Cooper told CBC that non-Indigenous teachers can take a larger role in the curriculum instead of asking Indigenous people to handle the teaching. However, he noted that the council is still seeing a lot of hesitancy from non-Indigenous teachers who are concerned about saying the wrong thing . He also expressed hope that schools will shift more towards placing historical issues in the current context so that students can understand how past events are affecting communities today.

The Yellowhead Institute, an Indigenous-led think tank based out of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Arts, is hoping to establish a greater presence across Dene and Inuit lands. Yellowhead Executive Director Hayden King said that the institute hopes to bring more Northern Indigenous authors to conversations around issues such as Indigenous sovereignty and land use, which have historically been dominated by non-Indigenous professionals. “Yellowhead can be a useful tool for people seeking to intervene in those discussions and provide a more community-based critical perspective that people can talk about, mobilize around and push for alternative solutions,” said King. In the future, the institute also reportedly hopes to have physical offices across Canada.

Several schools have shared courses and programs dedicated to Indigenous culture, languages, and truth and reconciliation. First Nations University partnered with RBC and the RBC Foundation to offer FNU’s self-paced online Advancing Re(al)conciliation program for free to all Canadians. MacEwan University has launched a minor in Indigegogy—reportedly the first such minor in Canada—which covers topics such as Indigeneity in Canada, residential schools, and First Peoples and the arts. MacEwan President Dr Annette Trimbee explained that the program differs from traditional Indigenous studies programs due to its alignment with reconciliation principles.

While some progress has been made to increase the number of Indigenous healthcare workers, more is needed, argues Jamaica Cass, director of the Queen’s-Weeneebayko Health Education Partnership at Queen’s University. Cass explains that Indigenous students must succeed in health education to ensure that communities can benefit from culturally safe, long-term healthcare providers, and asserts that this can be accomplished by letting Indigenous peoples lead in these areas. She points to the success of several Indigenous-led programs, but highlights that system-wide changes are needed to continue improving conditions for Indigenous students in health education. In particular, she encourages changes to address issues related to cost, K-12 education quality, and racism and isolation faced by Indigenous students.

Cégep de Lanaudière, Champlain College Saint-Lambert, McMaster University, and the University of Toronto have each unveiled artwork and imagery by Indigenous artists. Cégep de Lanaudière unveiled a painting created by Atikamekw artist Eruoma Awashish that features a sacred circle with a raven at the center. Champlain Saint-Lambert unveiled a new mural created by art therapist Megan Kanerahtenha:wi Whyte and three Indigenous student ambassadors. The mural depicts the four seasons and the act of giving thanks. Meanwhile, at McMaster, student athletes recently wore jerseys with a new Marauder logo created by Cayuga Woodland artist Kyle Joedicke. The logo’s design brings together Indigenous symbolism with McMaster tradition to foster belonging and reconciliation. U of T’s Varsity Blues men’s rugby team also took to the field with jerseys designed by Iroqit—a company from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory—that features Ojibway beadwork patterns.