Manitoulin Expositor – November 29, 2017
“This has been a long time in the making,” said KTEI Executive Director Stephanie Roy. “We have been advocating for this for the last 20 years. This is something that has been always on KTEI’s roadmap and we are pleased to work with the province to bring it to fruition.”
http://www.manitoulin.ca/2017/11/29/kenjgewin-teg-gets-ready-diploma-degree-granting-status/

Province Introduces Legislation to Expand Indigenous Education
Northern Ontario Business – November 28, 2017
The Indigenous Institutes Act was introduced on Nov. 14, but the province announced it on Nov. 23. There are nine Indigenous post-secondary institutes across the province, several of which are located in Northern Ontario. The institutes are Indigenous-governed and -operated institutions, and receive their mandate from Indigenous communities, providing postsecondary education and training to Indigenous students. Indigenous Institutes currently partner with colleges and universities to offer degree, certificate, and diploma programs.
https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/aboriginal-businesses/province-introduces-legislation-to-expand-indigenous-education-777202

Universities are Essential to Health, Social Development of Ontario
The Globe and Mail – November 28, 2017
Universities’ ability to graduate students who find jobs that match their level of education has been questioned for years. The report shows universities’ move to respond to those criticisms by turning to partnerships with business but maintaining control over their curriculum. “We are not training for a job, we are training them for a career,” said David Lindsay, the CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU), the advocacy group that released the report. But universities are now looking to increasingly partner with business through co-op and experiential learning terms to ensure that all students are able to find a first job, he said. “After that first job, there will be subsequent changes and we need to give students resiliency to be able to adapt in a changing world,” he said.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/universities-are-essential-to-health-social-development-of-ontario-report/article37107104/

Deb Helps Enable First Nation Post-Secondary Institutes’ Independence
SOO Today – November 28, 2017
“This legislation will assist Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig to continue to grow and to design and provide programs and services that reflect First Nations’ ways of knowing,” Mr. Sayers said. “Indigenous students need educational environments grounded in their languages, cultures and values to reach their potentials. This will enable them to become productive members of their communities, to fulfill their dreams.” A legislative change that would allow for the first step in that process was contained in the Liberal government’s fall economic update bill, but the advanced education and Indigenous relations ministers highlighted it in an announcement Thursday.
https://www.sootoday.com/local-news/new-legislation-to-recognize-and-assist-indigenous-post-secondary-education-776811

First Nations Closer to Introducing Post-Secondary Education
My North Bay Now – November 27, 2017
First Nations are a step closer to having control of post-secondary education.  And Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day applauds the move.  Day says the introduction of the Indigenous Institutes Act will let First Nations control and govern education programs that reflect Indigenous knowledge, cultures and languages.  Day is a graduate from one of nine First Nation Technical Institutes and says he wouldn`t be where he is today if not for the type of education he received.
https://www.mynorthbaynow.com/25412/first-nations-closer-introducing-post-secondary-education/

Tec Voc Students Shake up O Canada to Reflect Their Values
CBC Indigenous – November 27, 2017
“It was a challenge doing the translations and coming up with rhyme schemes between the different languages that seemed to work.” The school began playing the song during their opening announcements, and the version was offered to other schools within the Winnipeg School Division. Now, 20 schools use the new version, and two other divisions have approached WSD about using it, said Semchyshyn.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/tec-voc-o-canada-cree-ojibway-tagalog-1.4420314

Western University Introduces Indigenous-Focused Residence
CBC News – November 27, 2017
“This is an excellent way to be proud of your culture,” said Swain, a Swan Lake First Nation woman. She’s among eight students taking part in a new pilot, living on an Indigenous-focused floor at Delaware Hall. “I always want to learn more, and go to more ceremonies and smudging ceremonies. So coming to this residence has really connected me a lot more to my [roots].”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/western-university-allows-smudging-on-campus-1.4420518

Lingering Legacy: Even After they Closed, Residential Schools Weighed Heavy on Indigenous Labradorians
CBC News – November 26, 2017
When Lianna Rice was a child, she couldn’t understand why her grandmother could read and write, but her grandfather couldn’t.  It wasn’t until much later she understood the reason. While both her grandparents were from Labrador’s north coast, only her grandmother went to residential school.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/labrador-residential-school-legacy-1.4419872

Out of School at Age 11, First Nations Student Perseveres to Earn U of A Degree
CBC News – November 26, 2017
Boucher, 29, who lives in Edmonton, graduated from the U of A on Tuesday with a bachelor of science degree. She now aspires to a career in medicine. “It felt relieving to be finally done,” Boucher said, “because I have been in [post-secondary] school since 2007.” Boucher’s family moved around northern Alberta and the Yukon during her childhood. School at first was her escape from a life of poverty and alcohol abuse that some in her family struggled with.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/first-nations-university-education-boucher-1.4417251

A Long Wait Ends
Sault Online – November 24, 2017
GOOSE BAY, N.L. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has “humbly” apologized for abuse and cultural losses at residential schools in Newfoundland and Labrador, saying the gesture is part of recognizing “hard truths” Canada must confront as a society. Speaking at a ceremony with former students in Goose Bay, Trudeau apologized on behalf of the government of Canada and all Canadians to former students at five schools in the province.
https://saultonline.com/2017/11/a-long-wait-ends-trudeau-apologizes-to-n-l-residential-school-students/

Queen’s Native Students Association Responds to Report on Indigenous Students
Queens Journal – November 24, 2017
“The recommendations we hope to see the most immediate action on from the government, moving forward, is on addressing the financial barriers faced by Indigenous students,” Clubine wrote. “The Indigenous Student Bursary program is in desperate need of an increase in funding to improve the affordability of post-secondary education in Ontario.”
http://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2017-11-24/news/queens-native-students-association-responds-to-report-on-indigenous-students/

High Hopes for Indigenous Education as First Nations Gain More Control
TVO – November 23, 2017
?LONDON — Grave concerns about the federal government’s handling of Indigenous students’ education is prompting educators, parents, and community members throughout Ontario to seek new ways to improve school outcomes while also strengthening students’ cultural identity.
https://tvo.org/article/current-affairs/the-next-ontario/high-hopes-for-indigenous-education-as-first-nations-gain-more-control

Boost for Indigenous Education
Brantford-Brant – November 23, 2017
“Ontario’s announcement to recognize and respect the work Indigenous education institutes have been doing sends an important message to all people living in Ontario, that Indigenous education is unique, that Indigenous education is thriving, and that indigenous education is essential to the future of this country,” Rebecca Jamieson, president and CEO of Six Nation Polytechnic, said in a statement released after the announcement.
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2017/11/23/boost-for-indigenous-education

Indigenous Students Earn top Awards in Forestry
Northern Ontario Business – November 23, 2017
“Both winners have shown strong commitment to their communities, an impressive interest in their fields of study, and should look forward to rewarding careers in Canada’s innovative forest sector,” said Margaret Miller, natural resources minister for Nova Scotia, in a news release.
https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/forestry/indigenous-students-earn-top-awards-in-forestry-773907 

Great Lakes Secondary School Renovations on Schedule
The Observer – November 23, 2017
Construction has begun on a $23.4-million renovation and addition project at the permanent home for Sarnia’s Great Lakes Secondary School. That follows the first phase of the project completed earlier this year which included some demolition along with site preparation work at the former St. Clair Secondary School, a 1960s-era building on Murphy Road. St. Clair and the former SCITS high school were amalgamated by the Lambton Kent District School Board to create Great Lakes Secondary, and its staff and more than 1,000 students have been temporarily housed in the SCITS building on Wellington Street. Jasper Construction, a Concord-based company hired for the second phase of the project, has begun its work at the site on Murphy Road, said Gary Girardi, superintendent of capital planning and accommodation for the school board. “Most of it is still inside, but in a short timeframe there will be work outside, as well,” he said.
http://www.theobserver.ca/2017/11/23/great-lakes-secondary-school-renovations-on-schedule