News

A student at Waterloo Engineering has won a $10,000 scholarship through a Hydro One program designed to increase educational and employment opportunities for young Indigenous people.

Callum Perrault, an electrical engineering undergraduate and a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, is one of 20 winners of 2022 Leonard S. (Tony) Mandamin Scholarships, which also offer the chance to do a paid work term at Hydro One.

Open to Indigenous students enrolled in recognized university and college programs, the scholarships are named after one of the first Indigenous electrical engineering graduates in the province.

Recipients are selected by a panel composed of First Nations, Inuit and Métis professionals. The winners were announced this week to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day.

“We congratulate these Indigenous leaders for their achievements and celebrate the bright futures ahead of them,” Penny Favel, vice president of Indigenous relations at Hydro One, said in a media release. Original article written by the Faculty of Engineering.

We have lots of exciting news to share in our special June edition. National Indigenous History Month is here, and there is a lot happening!

Check out this issue at: https://mailchi.mp/f69b337505fe/indigenous-connections-newsletter-spring-2022

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive future issues here: https://uwaterloo.ca/indigenous/news/newsletter

Building on the success and impact of a previous partnership, Print + Retail Solutions and the Office of Indigenous Relations have worked closely together to curate a new collection of Indigenous products in collaboration with a local Indigenous artist, Alanah Astehtsi Otsistohkwa (Morningstar) Jewell of Morningstar Designs. 

The Office of Indigenous Relations is pleased to announce Kevin George will join the Indigenous Relations team as the Indigenous Special Projects Coordinator, effective February 14, 2022.  Kevin is Potawatomi and Cree and a member of the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation located on the shores of Lake Huron and has strong community connection to Fort McMurray 468 First Nation, his Cree community in Northern Alberta.

This article was originally published on the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo's (FAUW) website.

The Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW) is pleased to announce a five-year agreement with the Grand River Post-Secondary Education Office (GRPSEO) to fund scholarships for University of Waterloo students from Six Nations of the Grand River. FAUW will contribute $10,000 each year, to be distributed evenly by GRPSEO among all Six Nations students attending the University that year, in any program, in either part-time or full-time studies.

Article originally published in the Daily Bulletin

On January 13, 2022, the Office of Indigenous Relations marked its second anniversary, celebrating two years of impact on campus and beyond. The Indigenous Initiatives Office was renamed as the Indigenous Relations Office under AVP Jean Becker in October 2021. Becker brings over 40 years’ experience in postsecondary Indigenous initiatives.

Written by: Joy Braga

Treaties Recognition Week 2021 begins November 1, with activities planned by the Office of Indigenous Relations.

This article was originally published in the Catalyst e-newsletter.

PART continues its anti-racism book club series on November 16, 2021, at noon with a review of The Fourth World: An Indian Reality by George Manuel and Michael Posluns. Originally published in 1974, The Fourth World is a critical work of Indigenous political activism that has long been out of print. The newly updated edition in 2018 includes an introduction by Glen Sean Coulthard (Yellowknives Dene) and an afterword by Doreen Manuel (Secwepemc/Ktunaxa), a daughter of George Manuel.

In a memo circulated to University employees last Friday, President Vivek Goel and Vice-President, Academic & Provost James Rush announced that they have acted on recommendations from the Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion office review team to create two new organizational units led by Associate Vice-Presidents that will report to the Vice-President, Academic & Provost. These units replace two of the functions of the former Office of Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion. Both appointments are effective immediately.

The new Office of Indigenous Relations will be led by Jean Becker, who will take on the new title of Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Relations.