TORONTO – The province says it will spend an additional $17 million over three years to support First Nation, Metis, Inuit and urban Indigenous students.
The money will be used to help students from Nishnawbe Aski Nation and other remote northern communities transition from classrooms in their home communities to schooling in larger centres like Thunder Bay.
It will include the hiring of education system navigators, transition co-ordinators and teacher coaches, as well as providing more academic and tutoring supports.
Thunder Bay has long welcomed students from Far North communities, but between 2000 and 2011 seven students associated with Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School died, sparking the lengthy Seven Youth Inquest.
The province says it also plans to provide land-based and elder programming for students relocating to cities like Thunder Bay to allow them to access traditional and cultural supports while away from home, in an effort to support mental health and well-being.
Training and supports for boarding home parents to ensure a safe learning environment away from their home communities will also be provided, which the province says will help advance recommendations that resulted from the inquest.
"Our government is proud to provide First Nation educators with the resources they need so Indigenous students can safely and consistently engage in learning during this challenging time," said Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford, in a release issued on Friday.
"We are committed to ensuring every First Nation, Metis, Inuit and Indigenous student across Ontario is supported with access to the culturally-safe learning opportunities they expect and deserve."
Ontario has established a pair of First Nations education task force teams to work with Indigenous leadership to identify gaps in the system and priorities for First Nation students.
Another $6.5 million will be directed toward Indigenous and on-reserve education through a $250-million COVID-19 fund.
