NOHFC Support for Indigenous Learning Centre

THUNDER BAY – “The Gichi Kendaasiwin Centre is a strong example of the relationship-building between Northern Ontario academic institutions and Indigenous peoples. We are pleased to play a positive and supportive role in building those relationships,” said Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines and Chair of the NOHFC, and MPP for Thunder Bay Superior West.

Ontario is helping advance post-secondary education for Indigenous peoples in the Northwest by investing in the planning of a new Indigenous centre at Lakehead University.

With an investment of $1 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), Lakehead University in Thunder Bay is proceeding with the engineering and design phase for the Gichi Kendaasiwin Centre. The proposed centre would advance academic opportunities for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, and help increase university participation rates among Indigenous people of Ontario.

“Lakehead takes pride in connecting our Indigenous students to the world. It is wonderful to see Ontario’s government appreciate and support our hard work with this investment,” commented Dr. Brian J.R. Stevenson, President and Vice-Chancellor of Lakehead University.

The building will serve as a hub for the university’s Indigenous students and the wider community. It will include classroom and meeting spaces, a gathering and performance space, as well as support services for Indigenous students and community members. The facility will also house academic departments devoted to delivering Indigenous-specific programming.

This project has been on the drawing board for Lakehead University for a long time, and with the investment from Ontario this project can now move forward.

Investing in research and innovation is part of the government’s economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit in Ontario’s history and is investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.