The provincial government will offer millions to expand the space and services at Vancouver Island UniversityB次元官网网址檚 Indigenous gathering place.

B.C. Minister of Advanced Education Anne Kang was at VIUB次元官网网址檚 Nanaimo campus on Friday, April 8, to announce $3.3 million in provincial funding for the ShqB次元官网网址檃pthut gathering place.

The minister said the expansion will encourage and welcome Indigenous students to post-secondary education opportunities.

B次元官网网址淧roviding cultural spaces on campus is important to Indigenous students and has value to the entire university community,B次元官网网址� Kang said in a release.

VIU will be contributing more than $400,000 to the project. The expansion will add more ceremonial space, offices for elders-in-residence and additional washroom facilities and B次元官网网址渆xtensive landscaping that will exemplify and celebrate Indigenous cultureB次元官网网址� is also planned. The work is expected to begin next spring and estimated to be completed in one year.

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Concept for expansion.

B次元官网网址� Karl Yu (@KarlYuBulletin)

Gary Manson, a VIU elder, said sharing experiences with First Nation students is important, as is increased space at the gathering place.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going to be awesome, especially if it makes room for us, because sometimes weB次元官网网址檙e scattered all over the campus just because thereB次元官网网址檚 not enough space for all of us here,B次元官网网址� said Manson. B次元官网网址淩ight here is the hub for the students and if weB次元官网网址檙e not here, then they miss out on that B次元官网网址� IB次元官网网址檓 very grateful for the gift that we were given today and how thatB次元官网网址檚 going to help us grow and how weB次元官网网址檙e going to clear a path for students who want to come to this place of higher learning.B次元官网网址�

Deborah Saucier, VIU president, said the expansion of ShqB次元官网网址檃pthut is a B次元官网网址渢angible demonstrationB次元官网网址� of the universityB次元官网网址檚 commitment to strengthen partnerships with Indigenous communities in the region. The university is in the very early planning stages for work on the project, she said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e contracted the original architect for this building so that we can figure out how to tie it in best with the existing facility, with the minimum amount of disruption,B次元官网网址� said Saucier. B次元官网网址淲e canB次元官网网址檛 afford to live without this space, but we expect itB次元官网网址檚 probably going to be about two years before we have our grand opening B次元官网网址� WeB次元官网网址檙e hoping we can re-use much of this space. ThereB次元官网网址檒l of course be some tear down because we have to tie the two features in, but this was always envisioned to be a larger space and so it was designed with that in mind.B次元官网网址�

Sheila Malcolmson, Nanaimo MLA, said following recommendations of the United NationB次元官网网址檚 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is important for the government.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e the first place anywhere to adopt the [declaration],B次元官网网址� said Malcolmson. B次元官网网址淧art of the promise was that is action, not just commitment. An announcement like todayB次元官网网址檚 is part of it and it embeds everything weB次元官网网址檙e doing B次元官网网址� last month we tabled the declaration action plan, a beautiful ceremony in the legislature [with] everybody together saying these are the commitments and now we implement them and thatB次元官网网址檚 what reconciliation really is.B次元官网网址�

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