Happy National Indigenous Peoples Day! RRC Polytech is proud to announce we have worked with local artist Peatr Thomas on an original design for Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters in support of the Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award, created in partnership by RRC Polytech’s School of Indigenous Education and the Campus Store.

Peatr Thomas is a multidisciplinary Ininew and Anishinaabe self-taught full-time visual artist from the Pimicikamak and Miskooseepi territories. A Youth Facilitator for many years, he is sharing passed down knowledge, traditional teachings, culture and the healing process in creating visual forms of art.

“Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters and truth and reconciliation have become such a large part of College community and we can see how it has been embraced through the engagement and attendance of our events and workshops, but also through the funds we have raised for the Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award and the Indigenous students we’ve been able to support so far,” says Carla Kematch, Truth and Reconciliation and Community Engagement. “Part of the values of truth and reconciliation is embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and being, and I’m so honoured that Peatr agreed to work with us to create an authentic piece of artwork that staff and students can feel proud to wear that is true to the meaning behind Every Child Matters. Peatr is an established artist in our community with a distinct vision, many will recognize his incredible murals throughout the city, and we are so grateful for him sharing his art and teachings with us. I can’t wait to see this path for us grow and to create more opportunities.”

All proceeds for Orange Shirt Day t-shirt sales, as well as designs for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit, go towards the Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award. The word Mínwastánikéwin is Cree and means ‘to set it right.’ This award seeks to advance Indigenous student achievement and has annually distributed $1,000 awards since 2019 with the launch of the College’s first annual Truth and Reconciliation Week held at the end of September.

A crowd of 100 teachers and teacher candidates from RRC Polytech’s Bachelor of Education programs were honoured at the annual Cooperating Teacher Appreciation Dinner on Tuesday night (May 3, 2022). The hosts from Teacher Education were thrilled to pay proper tribute with an in-person banquet for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.       

Cooperating teachers are an integral part of Bachelor of Education programs that host and mentor student teachers in their Applied Commerce Education, Industrial Arts Education and Technical Vocational Education classrooms.

RRC Polytech’s President and CEO, Fred Meier was in attendance and formally opened the evening’s festivities, while Dr. Jeanine Webber and Kerri Caldwell Korabelnikov brought congratulatory messages on behalf of the College’s School of Education, Arts and Sciences. The University of Winnipeg’s Dean of Education, Dr. Laurie Hellsten also lent her support, while the Manitoba Teachers’ Society was represented by Raymond Job.

On behalf of RRC Polytech and our Legal and Compliance team, we are delighted to welcome our new Resource and Resolution Advisor, Christine Jeroski.  

Christine is joining the College from a large national private law firm where she gained significant experience in human rights law.

Christine is thrilled to transition the skills she has learned in private practice into the role of Resource and Resolution Advisor. In this role, Christine is the point of contact for all reports of concerns and complaints related to bullying, discrimination and harassment, and sexual violence in all its forms for all members of the RRC Polytech Community.

In her spare time, Christine enjoys working out, creating art, and spending time with her cats Andy and Lucy.

Christine can be reached at cjeroski@rrc.ca

RRC Polytech has won the bronze medal for Excellence in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) Awards of Excellence, held in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Following our commitment to embed EDI and Truth and Reconciliation into everything we do, the College proudly implemented a corporate equity, diversity, and inclusion action plan over the past year. This helped establish a network of Diversity Champions who encourage EDI engagement on campus through events, programs, and training opportunities.

The College has made a public pledge to make Manitoba a centre of excellence for Indigenous education, research, languages, and culture. To guide this significant and transformational work, the College continuously seeks strategic advice from its Elders-in-Residence, Knowledge Keepers Council, Director of Truth and Reconciliation, and new Vice President of Indigenous Strategy, Research, and Business Development portfolio.

RRC Polytech continues to actively embed EDI practices and Truth and Reconciliation into all activity across all campuses to ensure everyone in the College community feels welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. 

The CICan Awards of Excellence recognize best practices from colleges, institutes, cegeps and polytechnics across the country, as well as individual leadership and achievements in 10 categories. The awards are distributed in partnership with TD Insurance.

RRC Polytech is an anchor tenant on the list of Canada’s Greenest Employers, which is compiled annually by Mediacorp Inc. and unveiled each Earth Day. This year marks the 12^th consecutive time the College has earned this distinction. It’s an enviable streak made possible by a campus community committed to environmental awareness, and the ongoing expansion of programs and practices that enhances sustainability.

“We’re proud of how universal the commitment to sustainability is at RRC Polytech,” says Maria Mendes, Director, Environmental Stewardship and Campus Renewal. “Earth Day is a perfect occasion to celebrate the steps we’ve taken together toward greater sustainability. It’s also a time for us to reflect on how we will enhance these efforts in the years to come.”

In addition to recognizing RRC Polytech’s environmentally friendly policies and programs, the award also honours the opening of Manitoba a bi Bii daziigae – a significant new expression of sustainable design.

The new facility expands the green footprint of RRC Polytech’s Exchange District Campus. Its state-of-the-art design includes Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) along its exterior that use Kromatix glass panels to allow monocrystine solar cells to absorb and conduct energy while also protecting the building from the elements. This installation is the first of its kind in Canada and will reduce energy consumption by an estimated 15 to 20% per cent.

Kerri Korabelnikov speaks at the opening of Manitou a bi Bii daziigae

Kerri Korabelnikov, Dean, School of Education, Arts and Sciences at RRC Polytech, has been appointed to a new advisory council on immigration to recommend improvements to current immigration policies and programs for the province of Manitoba.

She is one of twenty Manitobans appointed to the Immigration Advisory Council (IAC), which will be co-chaired by Lloyd Axworthy and Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration Minister Jon Reyes.

“We are all coming to this council from different perspectives, but we all know how important encouraging economic growth is by investing in immigration,” said Korabelnikov. “Manitoba is an incredible destination for newcomers, especially for international students coming to RRC Polytech, and this work will ensure we are able to improve our foreign credential recognition to help these people enter the work force promptly.”