Update on TMU’s path toward truth and reconciliation

Indigenous-focused training and professional development

In response to the TRC report and the Standing Strong Task Force (SSTF) recommendations, the Talent Management Centre of Expertise in Human Resources (HR), which provides learning and development opportunities for employees, conducted an audit of its programs to identify gaps in Indigenous content. The team has worked closely with the OVPECI and Indigenous colleagues in HR and across the university to gather feedback and guidance on opportunities to include Indigenous content and to identify Indigenous facilitators who can deliver the training for employees and leaders. This included both enhancing existing content and determining new topics, which resulted in new workshops for TMU employees on Indigenous cultural awareness and inclusive leadership. 

Session topics include developing Indigenous cultural awareness, moving beyond awareness and Indigenous perspectives on leadership. Some of these topics have been added to cohort programs such as the New Employee Orientation and Leadership at TMU, and others are individual offerings. 

This work continues, and the team is currently partnering with Indigenous employees at the university to develop workshops on Indigenous history and colonial relations as part of programming for TMU’s EDI Knowledge and Action Framework. This project responds to recommendations from the Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review Report, published by the OVPECI in 2020.

Special Advisor to the President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization (EDID) Curriculum Transformation

In the fall of 2022, President Lachemi reaffirmed TMU’s commitment to equity by appointing the inaugural Special Advisor to the President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization (Curriculum Transformation). While this position is leading the implementation of key SSTF recommendations on curriculum, President Lachemi asserted that this announcement “goes beyond the recommendations of the SSTF,” and contributes to TMU’s broader commitment to equity and decolonization by developing learning opportunities about Indigenous history and Indigenous and colonial relations for all students.

Indigenous representation on TMU Senate

In 2019, TMU’s Senate passed a bylaw that requires there be at least one Indigenous faculty representative and two Indigenous associate members on the Senate. Having Indigenous representation at the decision-making table is a step towards TMU’s commitment to embedding the community’s knowledge and perspectives into the university’s processes and culture.

Outreach and support

• The Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS) Teaching and Outreach team actively partners with schools and on youth-oriented initiatives to empower young people to pursue a career in a STEM field. As part of these ongoing efforts, the outreach team has worked with the Kapapamahchakwew - Wandering Spirit School to run engineering workshops with Indigenous youth, ranging from grades four to nine. 
• In 2018, SciXchange, the Office for Outreach and Community Engagement at the Faculty of Science, started an Indigenous outreach initiative, Stoodis Science. Stoodis is a local Indigenous slang word meaning "Let's do this." Stoodis Science is a public outreach, engagement and science communication initiative focused on Indigenous outreach for youth, TMU students and members of the general public to learn about Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being and how they relate to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and arts (STEAM) concepts.
• The Indigenous Student Welcome Initiative at the Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) aims to address systemic barriers in the admission system to make undergraduate programs at TRSM more attainable. It involves looking beyond grades to identify and enroll Indigenous students who possess the knowledge, skills and aptitudes to thrive in a university setting. In support of this initiative, TRSM has established a new entrance awards program to help address financial barriers faced by Indigenous students.
• Through a partnership with Admissions and the Indigenous Outreach and Recruitment Officer, Sloan Miller, TMU’s October 2023 Open House featured three Indigenous information sessions for prospective students. The sessions were hosted by Gdoo-maawnjidimi Mompii Indigenous Student Services staff with participation from the Indigenous advisor, TRSM and the coordinator, Indigenous knowledge and science outreach, SciXchange.
• The Lincoln Alexander School of Law has established an Indigenous Legal Education Committee to advance key initiatives including the delivery of an Indigenous and Aboriginal Law course for all first-year law students; the development of a course on Indigenous theory and legal practice; and faculty training to support the integration of Indigenous knowledge and research methodologies into the classroom. In addition, the Indigenous Law Students’ Association, which was formed in 2020, provides a strong social support network for Indigenous students and brings awareness to legal issues affecting Indigenous communities through events, visiting speakers and other forms of knowledge sharing. Finally, the student services team has created a mentorship program to welcome and support Indigenous students throughout their law school experience.

Indigenous Career Mentoring

Offered through the Tri-Mentoring Program and in partnership with Gdoo-maawnjidimi Mompii Indigenous Student Services, OVPECI and the Career, Co-op & Student Success Centre, the Indigenous Career Mentoring program matches Indigenous students with Indigenous professionals. The program allows the students to explore and learn how to navigate their identities in the workplace. Mentors and mentees also get to build new skills and expand their professional network.

Rebirthed Teachings

Rebirthed Teachings (Kiwenitawi-kiwin Kiskino-hamatewina) is a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff led by Amy Desjarlais, the Indigenous lead in Indigenous Initiatives, OVPECI. The group collaborates to foster truth, understanding and respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Established in 2015 as the KAIROS Blanket Exercise Working Group, the team changed its name in 2020. The working group was originally formed to address requests for training on anti-Indigenous racism and how to support Indigenous students. Rebirthed Teachings’ vision and work responds to recommendations within TMU's community consultation report and Standing Strong Task Force report by providing education, professional development and support to TMU staff and faculty.

Incorporating the TRC Calls to Action into curriculum

Developed in 2021, the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) and the TMU Libraries collaborated on a research guide, Engaging with the TRC Calls to Action. This guide aims to support instructors with incorporating content from the TRC reports into their courses, engage students in learning about the legacy of residential schools and reflect on why the calls to action are needed in specific areas.

Experiential learning

Earlier this fall, a group of ten students from TMU’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program joined Sonya Graci, professor and director of the Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Research, on a journey to the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The trip provided students with the opportunity to learn from local leaders about Indigenous issues, policies and ways of life in Canada’s north. It also gave them an authentic Arctic experience and insight into the daily lives of Indigenous Peoples as they examined issues related to reconciliation, climate change, food security and sustainable livelihoods.  

SIKOSE

Originally formulated over a number of years by Thohahoken Michael Doxtater and officially launched in February 2023 in Saagajiwe at The Creative School, SIKOSE facilitates the dissemination of Indigenous thought and knowledge. The open-source encyclopedia offers a virtual learning environment with free access to audio, visual, textual, graphic, performance and experiential learning resources focusing on Indigenous Knowledges. Saagajiwe is a direct response to the TRC’s "Calls To Action '' that operationalizes TMU’s Truth and Reconciliation Community Consultation Report. Saagajiwe's role in the Indigenization of TMU launched in 2022 by showcasing Indigenous Peoples’ culture, heritage and languages through SIKOSE.

Indigenization at the School of Medicine

The TMU School of Medicine will be the first medical school in Canada founded and intentionally built upon the foundations of social accountability, EDI and reconciliation. The school of medicine’s Indigenous Health Lead and Special Advisor to the Dean on Indigenous Resurgence, Dr. Jamaica Cass guidance on all aspects of work at the school of medicine including working with the executive committee to develop an Indigenous admissions policy, pursuing Indigenous community engagement and developing an Indigenous health curriculum.

Indigenous faculty hiring

As of November 2023, there are a total of 26 Indigenous faculty members at TMU (23 tenure track and three limited-term faculty), an increase from seven faculty in the 2018-2019 academic year.

Reconciliation in Business Conference

In 2022 and 2023, the Treaty Relations in Business Education (TRIBE) student group at the TRSM hosted the Reconciliation in Business Conference. The one-day event focused on fostering discussions about the understanding and inclusion of Indigenous perspectives and encouraging the adoption of Indigenous ways of knowing in education and places of business. This event provides an excellent opportunity for students to network with business professionals and like-minded individuals, promoting a strong sense of community and collaboration. The 2022 conference won gold for the Best Indigenous Relations Initiative at the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education’s 2023 Prix d’Excellence Celebration.

Indigenous SRC funding

In October 2023, the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation announced two new funding programs to support Indigenous faculty members’ scholarly, research and creative (SRC) activities and expand Indigenous scholarship at TMU. 

The Indigenous SRC Distinction Fund is offered once every two years and awards one Indigenous tenured or tenure-track professor up to $25,000 to support their SRC activities. Priorities include collaborations with Indigenous communities, involvement of Indigenous undergraduate or graduate students or research addressing issues of significance to Indigenous Peoples in an urban context. 

The non-competitive Supplemental Indigenous SRC Fund supports up to 10 professors per year to a maximum of $5,000 per awardee. The funding may be used to support the training of Indigenous undergraduate and graduate students at TMU and SRC-related activities, such as engagement with Indigenous communities, honoraria for Indigenous Elders, travel to research sites, proposal development and/or administrative support.

Honorarium payments for Indigenous collaborators

Historically, staff and faculty members working with Indigenous collaborators have faced barriers in paying them equitably, respectfully and without a burdensome level of administration. Starting in 2022, thanks to the work of the Indigenous Payments Working Group, staff and faculty members are now able to process honorarium payments, over $500 and under $5,000, through HR without requiring SIN numbers and birth dates from Indigenous collaborators. This change means that Indigenous collaborators are paid in a timely and respectful manner that takes into consideration the unique barriers and ongoing impacts of colonialism affecting Indigenous Peoples. Understanding and addressing these barriers is essential to earning the trust of Indigenous collaborators.

The Indigenous Payments Working Group was a group of TMU staff members from the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Saagajiwe in The Creative School, Yellowhead Institute, Financial Services, Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Human Resources who worked in collaboration with Indigenous advisors and other colleagues from across the university.

Indigenous Wellbeing and Cultural Practice Leave

Announced by President Lachemi in September 2023, as part of the university’s commitment to systemic changes that support Indigenous community members, TMU has implemented an Indigenous Wellbeing and Cultural Practice Leave. A direct response to recommendations from the TRC Community Consultation Summary Report and Standing Strong Task Force Report, this new leave gives eligible Indigenous staff from Canada the ability to take up to five paid days per year to support healing and well-being, including cultivating cultural interests and practices in whatever ways they so choose.

Indigenous placemaking

Placemaking is creating unique, iconic spaces of gathering for learning, teaching and exchange that embody Indigenous culture and traditions and strengthens the connection between public space and the people who use it. Throughout 2022 and 2023, groups from across the university have collaborated to bring Indigenous art, culture and ways of life to our campus through initiatives such as the Paisajes de Nosotros (Landscapes of Us) mural, the Unfettered Access for our Grandchildren mural in the new Active Learning Classroom, the TRSM Indigenous Healing Garden (in progress), the panoramic art installation in the Recreation & Athletic Centre rotunda and the Indigenous Foodways Program and Medicine Garden.

Additionally, in June 2023, after careful consultation and dialogue with Indigenous students, the office formerly known as Ryerson Aboriginal Student Services (RASS) changed its name to Gdoo-maawnjidimi Mompii “We Gather Here” Indigenous Student Services. The new name symbolizes how the office, as well as the new Indigenous Student Centre to be opened in January 2024, brings together Indigenous community members (First Nation, Métis, Inuit, status and non-status) to access support services, programs and the student centre under one roof. “We Gather Here” also refers to the Indigenous community claiming their physical space and presence on campus and symbolizes that they have always been here, are here now and will continue to be here. 

E-nankiid Anishinaabe Maawnjidowinan miiniwaa Shki-maajiishkaachiganan (Manager of Indigenous Events and Special Projects)

In November 2022, TMU hired a Manager of Indigenous Events and Special Projects, Crystal Osawamick. The role was created as part of the university’s response to recommendations in the community consultation report to plan and manage campus-wide Indigenous-related events to increase visibility, generate publicity and celebrate Indigenous culture.

Throughout 2023, Osawamick has led the planning and execution of the Winter Solstice Round Dance, National Indigenous Peoples Day, Orange Shirt Day and many other events and gatherings for community members. She also supported and mentored students in the planning of the 2023 Indigenous Education Week and the student-led Pwaaganigaawin (Pow Wow) which was the first in-person TMU Pow Wow since 2019. Additionally, she continues to make progress in building, maintaining and strengthening connections with various organizations, stakeholders and the community.

Treaties Recognition Week

From November 7 to 9, 2023, TMU observed its first Treaties Recognition Week on campus, a week of educational events aimed to honour the importance of treaties. It was also an opportunity to empower students, faculty and staff with a greater awareness and understanding of treaties and that they are not just between Indigenous nations and the government, they are the responsibility of all those who occupy the land, all Canadians. This year’s events were organized by a collective of Indigenous and non-Indigenous colleagues, led by Cher Trudeau, administrative coordinator, Indigenous Education Council and Indigenous Initiatives, OVPECI.