Sudbury group aims for educational equity for French and Indigenous post-secondary students
In response to the fallout from Laurentian's financial crisis, a group of education advocates has put together a proposal to support those affected by the university cuts.
Community leaders in Sudbury have come together to create the Tricultural Committee for University Education at Sudbury aimed at building more educational equity for English, French and Indigenous students. The group -- which is being led by members of the Save Our Sudbury community group -- presented a reconciliation declaration over ZOOM Thursday that highlighted some proposed next steps to restore equitable post-secondary education in the north.
"This is a first step. What you’re reading is a first step to clarifying a way forward and recognizing the three equal communities -- not operating on antagonism but operating as allies for a stronger educational system in northern Ontario,” said David Leadbeater, a former Laurentian University professor.
The group's ultimate goal is to see three stand-alone universities: anglophone, francophone, and Indigenous.
"This hasn’t been an official declaration of that but there is discussion with a northern institution on Manitoulin Island, called Kenjgewin Teg, and they are also in the process of securing their own degree-granting status. But that is in the works and that is something that we are -- in the Indigenous community -- being hopeful. Because it would be an Indigenous institute run by Indigenous for Indigenous with an inclusive mandate. And that’s where there has been discussions about the possibility of relocating the department of Indigenous studies content -- which is an already approved program -- over to Kenjgewin Teg if all works well in regards to the legalities and issues and so forth," said Will Morin, another former University of Sudbury professor.
While the hope of having these institutions remains on hold while court proceedings with Laurentian University's insolvency continue, for now, the group said its focus is on having people's voices heard.
“As soon as this process began, it was very clear that it was not taking into account the voices, as Will has said, of the Indigenous people. It was not taking into account the voices of francophone people. It was very much a colonial patriarchal view of what education should be and how it should be engaged in. And even though I, myself, am neither Indigenous nor francophone, I feel the pain and I was listening to the stories of all of the people who were saying this is incredibly disrespectful to us as a community, to us as individuals. And the only way to truly engage with that is to stand in solidarity," Scott Florence, Sudbury Workers Education and Advocacy Centre's Executive Director.
The next steps for the group include hosting several town halls to engage the community, beginning in October. Meantime, an Ontario court has given Laurentian an extension of its creditor protection until the end of January 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.