A Year Marking Growth, Relationship-Building, and Reflection
The University of Waterloo has advanced its reconciliation efforts with the release of its first Indigenous Momentum Report, a publication shaped by reflection, relationship, and responsibility.
This inaugural report, developed by the Office of Indigenous Relations (OIR), highlights a year of collaboration and steady progress toward a more inclusive and accountable future. It serves as an ongoing commitment to truth, storytelling, and the growing community of Indigenous students, staff, faculty, and partners who guide the university’s direction.
Over the past year, OIR has led significant initiatives across campus, advancing the Indigenous Strategic Plan and strengthening connections that support Indigenous self-determination and knowledge. The report recognizes these achievements and emphasizes that reconciliation is measured by both actions and the relationships that support them.
“This report represents an important step in strengthening accountability and transparency in our shared work toward Indigenous sovereignty, reconciliation, and better futures for Indigenous students, staff, faculty, and communities. I’m deeply grateful for the support of senior leadership, and for the growing commitment across campus to move this work forward together.” - John Lewis, Interim Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Relations.
Future editions of the Momentum Report will include contributions from Faculties, Academic Support Units, and community collaborators. This approach emphasizes understanding progress through stories, which convey teachings, truths, and lived experiences that drive change.
A Moment for Pause, Celebration, and Recommitment
These stories are important. They show where the institution is progressing, where further learning is needed, and how Indigenous and allied voices shape and sustain this work. By sharing them, Waterloo affirms that reconciliation is relational and ongoing.
The Momentum Report invites the university community to pause, reflect with gratitude, plan with intention, and ground their work in the values guiding Indigenous ways of being: respect, reciprocity, accountability, and care. It reminds the campus that reconciliation is a shared journey.
The full Indigenous Momentum Report 2024–2025 is now publicly available through the Office of Indigenous Relations on the University of Waterloo website.
OIR welcomes contributions for future reports. To share initiatives, partnerships, or stories, please contact the office at indigenousrelations@uwaterloo.ca.