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Source: CCE On Sept. 30, RJC Engineers hosted its second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation webinar for engineers, contractors and architects, drawing nearly 600 attendees. The two-hour mini-conference, ‘Building a Foundation for Reconciliation 2022: The Interconnections between Infrastructure, Culture and the Environment,’ was organized in partnership with the IISAAK OLAM Foundation, Tsawout First Nation, Halalt First Nation and the Roots to Roofs Community Development Society. By exploring how Canada’s architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) professionals can honour the Truth and Reconciliation Commission‘s Calls to Action as allies to First Nations, it expanded upon last year’s inaugural session. Call to Action 92, in particular, asks Canada’s corporate...

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Each year in June, we celebrate National Indigenous History month — to honour their unique histories, sacrifices, cultures, contributions and strengths. Since the 17th century the Indigenous Peoples of Canada have suffered through harmful assimilation and segregation policies physically removing them from their lands, systematically dismantling their culture and separating them from their families. While most modern Canadians are trying to rebuild these relationships and celebrate the resiliency and strength of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada there is still a great deal of work ahead of us. We’ve compiled three steps you can take to indigenize your business regardless of...

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Engineering has a diversity issue, and Canadian institutions know this. Thanks in part to the work done by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), the idea of “Indigenizing” the profession of engineering and engineering curriculum has been a recurring theme across post-secondary and regulatory bodies across the country in recent years. According to Queen’s University, “Indigenization can be seen as the re-doing or reaffirming of education to include Indigenous ways of knowing, thinking, feeling and being. It involves elevating the voices of Indigenous peoples, elevating traditional, and cultural knowledge, and intentional inclusion of Indigenous ways of teaching and...

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“The execution of Indians ought to convince the Red Man that the White Man governs.” – a quote from the first Prime Minister of Canada in 1855. The atrocities committed by residential schools may not have begun with our first Prime Minister, but they certainly didn’t end with him. From 1831 to 1996 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were taken from their families and forced to attend Residential Schools. These schools were overcrowded, underfunded and delivered substandard education; children were hurt and staff were never held accountable for how they treated these children. On June 21 of this year...

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Today we celebrate and mourn for the Indigenous Peoples of Canada who have contributed so much to the fabric of this country, despite having had so much taken from them. It’s the least we can do to take the longest day of the year, where in certain parts of Canada the sun will not set, to celebrate Indigenous heritage. In fact, for centuries Indigenous Peoples have held celebrations on the summer solstice celebrating both their heritage and the dawn of summer, which is why June 21 was chosen 25 years ago as National Indigenous People’s Day in Canada. However, we...

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