Ontario announces $57 million investment into Indigenous education, sustainability

Indigenous educators say they are looking toward a brighter future following a significant funding boost from the Ford government intended to expand capacity for market-driven programs.

Nolan Quinn, the minister of colleges and universities, visited Six Nations Polytechnic in Brantford on Thursday to announce the province is investing an additional $57 million into Indigenous educational institutions. The move effectively doubles operating funding for the nine such schools across Ontario.

At the Brantford school, educators walked Quinn through what students do in the labs during health studies, a program officials say is one area where they see growth across all Indigenous colleges.

Educators say the investment is timely as enrollment rates continue to climb.

“Our enrollment has increased. Overall, about 30 per cent across all of the institutes,” said Rebecca Jamieson, former president of Six Nations Polytechnic. “So, every year with more incremental funding, we’ll be able to offer more programs, more enrollment.”

To meet the growing demand, the province aims to increase the total annual spend on the system to roughly $50 million by 2028.

“The numbers do show that the growth is in our Indigenous institutes, as well as it’s our largest growing part of the workforce,” Quinn said. “So recognizing that we see the growth that’s behind us but the growth that’s ahead of us, we want to ensure that they’re set up to serve their communities well.”

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The government plans to use a revamped funding model to drive capacity in sectors such as the skilled trades, teaching and health care. Quinn noted the province will initiate a request-for-proposals process to better understand specific community needs.

Lorrie Deschamps, president of The Wenjack Education Institute, said those needs vary significantly by region.

“We all have different needs at all our Indigenous institutes. And we all have different communities that we serve,” Deschamps said. “For Oshki-Wenjack, our community — the mining is the big thing for our skilled trades training. And we also have a need for nurses and teachers.”

At Six Nations Polytechnic, a postsecondary school that currently serves 386 students, officials say the shift toward predictable, systemic funding is a “game changer” for long-term sustainability.

“Now we can plan for a two-year program, and know we’re going to have funding for the second year,” Jamieson said. “Before, we weren’t always sure of that.”

The Ministry of Colleges and Universities expects the funding to create up to 780 new seats in in-demand programs across the province by 2027.

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