You may use a shortened version of the full land acknowledgement where appropriate, including in email signatures. The shortened version focuses on the nations and resources as the core elements of the acknowledgement.

The Orange Shirt Society established September 20 as Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters, to recognize Residential School survivors as well as those who never made it home. In 2021, the Government of Canada declared September 30 the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in homage to Orange Shirt Day.

In 2022, RRC Polytech partnered with local artist Peatr Thomas to design the first RRC Polytech Original Orange Shirt, the proceeds of which went to the Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award. Every year since then, RRC Polytech partners with a local artist to create a new design. The t-shirts are produced by Red Rebel Armour, owned and operated by Indigenous alumnus Sean Rayland-Boubar.

Read about past Orange Shirt designs:

• 2024
• 2023
• 2022

In the same spirit as the Orange Shirt, RRC Polytech partnered with Métis artist Shayre Curé in 2023 to design the RRC Polytech Original Red Shirt in honour of Missing and Murdered Indigenous, Women, Girls and Two Spirit People (MMIWG2S). The RRC Polytech Red Shirts are sold through the Campus Store to raise awareness for October 4, the Day of Action for MMIWG2S and for May 5, the National Day of Awareness for MMIWG2S, otherwise known as Red Dress Day. The t-shirts are produced by Red Rebel Armour, owned and operated by Indigenous alumnus Sean Rayland-Boubar.

Read about past Red Shirt designs:

• 2023

As a post-secondary institution in Canada, we have a duty to educate our staff and faculty of the history, worldviews, and truths of Indigenous peoples. We want to provide our staff and faculty with a robust understanding of Indigenous topics that may not have been available during their previous education. 4 Seasons of Reconciliation can be the first step in developing a more holistic understanding of what it means to live as a person in Canada.

4 Seasons of Reconciliation follows Indigenous principles and was formed under the guidance of our Indigenous Advisory Circle and the First Nations University of Canada. This resource will introduce you to baseline concepts around Truth and Reconciliation and why it is important for all people in Canada to engage respectfully with Indigenous communities. The course takes about three hours to complete and covers a broad range of topics through a multimedia lens with quizzes to test your knowledge retention. The course provides supplementary resources for anyone that wants to expand their understanding beyond what’s offered for course completion.

4 Seasons of Reconciliation is mandatory for all staff and faculty to complete. The course is also available for organizations to utilize as part of their professional development deliveries, and instructors may provide the course to students.

The Truth and Reconciliation Immersive Experience is the first fully-immersive experience of its kind at any post-secondary institution in Canada. Emerging Media Production partnered with Truth and Reconciliation and Community Engagement to produce the “Truth and Reconciliation Immersive Experience” as part of the programming for the 2022 Truth and Reconciliation Week. The installation is now available for viewing at any time in the Immersion Room at Notre Dame Campus.

The immersive experience produced by both departments provides a comprehensive, emotionally-moving, historical and contemporary glimpse into the roots of colonization and its impacts on Indigenous Peoples, information that is often overlooked or checked off as a curriculum item that is lost in the slog of content delivery. “Showing” instead of “telling” helps viewers create connections between new information and existing knowledge, and incorporating anecdotal, personal accounts as evidence of cultural impacts helps viewers empathetically relate their own responses to the experiences of the people that were changed by colonization.

The TRCP is an RRC Polytech learning community that creates opportunities for staff and faculty to extend and apply their learning, and to take action to advance Truth and Reconciliation and anti-racism. 

This includes both group discussion, facilitated in circle, and small group or partner discussions, around guided questions that relate to both Truth and Reconciliation and anti-racism. These discussions will guide participants on a journey through the Medicine Wheel and will provide experiential learning around Indigenous teachings. 

The TRCP is part of the Community of Practice series offered through the Anti-Racism Action Committee in partnership with Truth and Reconciliation and Community Engagement. 

This tour highlights the histories and ongoing injustices faced by Indigenous communities and culminates with viewing the Witness Blanket, an installation composed of reclaimed objects from Residential Schools and other sites of colonial impact. Following the museum visit, a feast and Sharing Circle are facilitated to allow participants to process their experiences in a supportive environment.

The initiative aligns with RRC Polytech’s broader commitment to embedding reconciliation into its educational framework, recognizing that many professionals did not receive formal Truth and Reconciliation education in their schooling.

Through continued programming, including monthly Witness Blanket Tours and experiential learning opportunities, RRC Polytech aims to foster a more inclusive and informed community.

Staff can register for upcoming iterations of the Witness Blanket and CMHR Tour at HRIS > My Portal > My Learning > Learning Library > More > search “Witness Blanket”.

RRC Polytech signed the Manitoba Collaborative Indigenous Education Blueprint (MCIEB) in 2018 as a public pledge to advance Indigenous education in the province by enhancing culturally-inclusive supports and strengthening partnerships with Indigenous communities. The MCIEB is a partnership involving Manitoba’s six universities, three colleges, Indigenous organizations, government partners, and the Manitoba School Boards Association.

RRC Polytech signed the Winnipeg Indigenous Accord when it was launched in 2017 by the City of Winnipeg and has provided regular reports as part of the Accord’s annual Accord Parter Goals and Progress Reports. 

The CICan Indigenous Education Protocol is comprehensive document that underscores the importance of structures and approaches required to address Indigenous peoples’ learning needs and to support self-determination and socio-economic development of Indigenous communities. Since signing in 2022, CICan’s Indigenous Education Protocol has helped guide the College in its mission of providing top-level post-secondary education while transforming spaces, places and hearts; weaving together two distinct cultures; and improving relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to empower communities and promote a culture of respect and inclusion.

The Accord aims to inspire, celebrate, and advance education’s role in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting their value to governments, businesses, and society. As a commitment among learning institutions, Signatories pledge to enhance SDG efforts, report progress annually, and share insights nationally and internationally. Updated Accord metrics are presented each year at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

Mitakuye Oyasin Okciyape is the name for the large open space you walk into in Manitou a bi Bii daziigae. In Dakota, the name means All My Relations Helping Each Other. This space was previously known as the Agora.

Kunshi (Dakota Grandmother) Ivy Chaske joined RRC Polytech in 2023 as a Grandmother in the Elders-in-Residence program and as a member of the Knowledge Keepers Council. She proposed changing the name from the Agora to Mitakuye Oyasin Okciyape, and in the spirit of reciprocity, was offered tobacco for her gift.

On National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21, 2024, Kunshi Ivy led a Pipe Ceremony to facilitate the space receiving the new name and to thank the name Agora for the purpose it served before the renaming.

Today, Mitakuye Oyasin Okciyape is the space that you walk into when you enter Manitou a bi Bii daziigae – a proud recognition of the innovation that happens within these walls and the commitment we have in celebrating the languages of this territory.

The City View Classroom is home to a 1,000 square-foot installation designed by Jackie Traverse that crosses the inside and outside of the building’s fourth floor ceiling. The College collaborated with the Winnipeg Arts Council to select an artist for the project and worked closely with Diamond Schmitt Architects (in a joint venture with Number TEN Architectural Group) to integrate the painting into the building’s design.

The Roundhouse Auditorium is a 210-seat space that is available for interactive lectures, traditional teachings, ceremonies and large events. The Roundhouse and the round meeting room below it are fully ventilated and allow for the use of sacred medicines. 

KC Adams’ Morning Star design, created using birchbark technology, is embedded into the floor in this space. Morning Star incorporates traditional and emerging technologies in a space designed to bring people from a wide range of backgrounds together to learn and innovate.

The floor artwork in the Multipurpose Room represents a collaborative effort between the architects and the team from RRC Polytech. The original concept draws inspiration from Stephen Snake’s artwork, which is part of the RRC Polytech art collection, particularly the Turtle Island piece which serves as the foundation for the design. The design evolved from a simple form symbolizing a turtle shell to a representation of Turtle Island as North America, and later, an abstract globe symbolizing the world, then two rivers were incorporated to anchor the piece to its specific location. The process involved extensive discussions and the exploration of various design iterations.