The Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board and Fort William First Nation have established a partnership that has laid the groundwork for a ‘pilot school’ in the community that will offer full-day kindergarten this fall. The classroom will open as a satellite of St Ann School at the First Nation’s community centre. It will be piloted for one year. “Short-term, we're looking to ensure that this is successful, that the programming is good and that we serve the needs of the community,” said TBCDSB Superintendent of education Omar Belisle.

Great Plains College and the Office of the Treaty Commissioner have signed a strategic alliance to improve education on Treaties and Indigenous knowledge and collaborate on the promotion of Indigenous-inclusive learning environments. “The Office of the Treaty Commission has had an enormous impact on our student culture and in its support for Indigenous students in particular,” said GPC Vice President Academic Brian Gobbett. “The college is committed to incorporating Indigenous perspectives and knowledge in capacity building, community service and teaching.

A seven-year project to extend the reclamation of Asiniskow Ithiiniwak (Rocky Cree) language, history, and culture has been awarded a $2.5M federal grant.  The project, entitled Six Seasons of the Asiniskow Ithiniwak: Reclamation, Regeneration, and Reconciliation, will be housed at the University of Winnipeg and directed by Dean of Graduate Studies Mavis Reimer. “The project is founded on the revelation of an ancestor, but it is oriented to the future and the ongoing work of reclaiming Rocky Cree languages, histories, and knowledge,” says Reimer.

A new school system operated entirely by First Nations has officially opened in Manitoba. Last Wednesday, the Manitoba First Nations School system held its ribbon-cutting ceremony at Sgt Tommy Prince School on the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, about 65 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. The new system includes a deal for increased funding levels and gives Indigenous leaders jurisdiction over schools in 10 First Nations communities. “Our people always understood the importance of education for creating a better life for future generations.