Post-secondary Aboriginal institutes achieve milestone

The new Ontario budget marks the beginning of an exciting new path for First Nations’ education in Ontario, with the inclusion of  $5 million in new funding for Aboriginal Institutes in Ontario.

OKT lawyers Bob Rae and Andrea Bradley have been working with the Aboriginal Institutes Consortium to develop a position paper and engage with the Province on the need to fund these important indigenous learning institutions. OKT congratulates the Consortium and its member Institutes on the budget announcement that an additional $5 million in funding will be available for the Province’s nine Aboriginal Institutes.

Aboriginal Institutes are post-secondary institutions that are inherently indigenous, from staff to curriculum to student services.  They are established by and primarily serve First Nation communities across Ontario.  The Institutes provide access to post-secondary education and training for over 1,000 learners every year, many of whom would not otherwise obtain a post-secondary education.

The Province has also committed to work with the Institutes to develop a long-term, stable funding policy.  Minister Sousa highlighted the important role the Institutes play in his speech to the Legislature:

“Mr. Speaker, making sure more people have access to postsecondary education is essential to our growth agenda.

That’s why we are supporting our Aboriginal Institutes to ensure that Aboriginal youth have access to high-quality postsecondary education and training.”

The Institutes have been serving Aboriginal learners in Ontario for over thirty years.  They have developed a wide array of high quality programs, many of which are tailored to meet the employment needs of First Nation communities, and make a valuable contribution to building the human resources and governance capacity of Ontario’s First Nations.  The Institutes have achieved remarkable success while operating under severe funding constraints.  To date, they have existed on the periphery of the Ontario system, with no policy on their status, the programs they offer, or reporting requirements they must meet.  Unlike mainstream colleges and universities, they have not received capital or operational funding.  In the past two years, the Federal government has revised its funding policies for Aboriginal post-secondary education, making the position of Aboriginal Institutes even less secure.

The Provincial government has committed to work with the Institutes and the Aboriginal Institutes Consortium to develop a secure funding policy that includes operational funding.  The significant funding commitment will enable the Institutes to continue their good work while a longer-term policy is being developed.

OKT is pleased to be able to work with the Aboriginal Institutes Consortium on this issue and congratulates the Consortium and its member Institutes on this exciting achievement.

By Andrea Bradley