As Manitoba continues to grow, there’s no question that the demand for skilled tradespeople is as high as its ever been.

According to the province’s labour gap statistics, trades such as automotive service technicians, carpenters, electricians and construction labourers are some of the most in-need career paths over the next five years.

Trades, though, can be a male-dominated space. According to a 2020 study by BuildForce Canada, just five per cent of the 1.1 million trades people in Canada identify as female. While this is a significant increase from where the industry was 10 years ago (3.7 per cent in 2008), it shows just how important equal representation and creating space is when it comes to young women entering trades.

Enter the Girls Exploring Trades and Technology camp, or GETT. Started by RRC Polytech in 1999, GETT is a summer camp at the College’s Notre Dame Campus where instructors and staff help introduce young girls aged 12 to 14 to a variety of trades — free of charge.

“The girls get exposure to a whole lot of different non-traditional career options for them,” says Christina Lambert, who has been running the camps since 2006.

In a whirlwind four days, camp participants are introduced to plumbing, woodworking, cabinetmaking, welding, robotics, transportation, bricklaying, and more. At the end of their camp experience, each participant brings home a project made using experience earned in the camp: a desk lamp built with iron pipe. Read More →

Tattoo and multimedia artist Shayre Curé says her art is often specifically created for the enjoyment of clients and customers, whether it’s displayed in their houses or on their skin.

This year, Curé partnered with RRC Polytech to create an original Red Shirt design to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People (MMIWG2S) and to support the Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award for Indigenous students.

“As a Métis artist, my goal is to create art that brings awareness to this important issue,” says Curé. “I want my art to not only reflect cultural heritage, but to inspire future generations to continue the fight for justice, equality, and empowerment.”

The new design portrays a woman with the emblematic handprint over her mouth representing the “No More Stolen Sisters” movement, which was launched to express the outrage and grief over the loss of so many women, girls and Two Spirit people that — in many cases — could have been prevented. Curé worked in collaboration with a committee of Indigenous staff at the College to come up with the concept.

Her relationship with RRC Polytech first began earlier this year, when the Indigenous Student Support Centre purchased a piece from her entitled “The Silent Genocide on Turtle Island.” Read More →

RRC Polytech has partnered with Graphic Design graduate Leticia Spence — an Ininew artist and entrepreneur from Pimicikamak in Treaty 5 Territory — to create an original design for Orange Shirt Day and Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is tomorrow, Sept. 30.

“Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters is a solemn day where we recognize and honour residential school survivors and those who never made it back to their families,” says Carla Kematch, Director, Truth and Reconciliation and Community Engagement at RRC Polytech.

“It’s a day where we take action and raise awareness of the efforts that Indigenous communities and advocates make to find Indigenous children and bring them home. The world needs to know what happened at residential schools and why this work is important. Expressing our message through Indigenous art, teachings and symbolism is how we can heal.

“We’re so honoured to have worked with artist and alumna Leticia Spence. She shared her knowledge and skill to help convey this message of justice and created such a striking and meaningful representation of Every Child Matters.”

Spence graduated from the College in 2019 and has done work for Indigenous Tourism of Canada, the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, among many other organizations. She created the new Orange Shirt design in consultation with a committee of Indigenous staff members at RRC Polytech.

Spence’s design is intricate and intentional. As with the beadwork she observed family members creating while she was growing up, she wanted to ensure that the Orange Shirt design incorporated the intended energy represented by the Every Child Matters movement.

“I want whoever is wearing this t-shirt to feel a sense of hope and strength as they honour those who are currently being found, while also knowing that it’s okay to create space to honour themselves, as either direct residential school survivors or intergenerational survivors,” says Spence. Read More →

RRC Polytech is hosting its fifth annual Truth and Reconciliation Week to mark the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, on Sat., Sept. 30.

The week begins Monday, Sept. 25, with the Fall Equinox celebration at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, and will span over two weeks of student-, staff- and community-led sessions aimed at educating participants about the many different facets and responsibilities of Truth and Reconciliation.

“When RRC Polytech held its first Truth and Reconciliation Week five years ago, two people were leading the charge,” says Jamie Wilson, Vice-President, Indigenous Strategy, Business Development and Research.

“Today, Truth and Reconciliation Week is supported by almost 90 volunteers across all campuses, allowing the College community to come together to learn from and engage with Indigenous People.”

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls on post-secondary institutions to create a more equitable and inclusive society by closing gaps in social, health and economic outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and people.

RRC Polytech’s second strategic commitment is to “commit to Truth and Reconciliation, and pursue equity, diversity and inclusion in everything we do.”

Truth and Reconciliation is not just about providing equal opportunities to Indigenous learners — it is also about educating the publics RRC Polytech serves of the true histories that have often been neglected by western textbooks and reconciling potential dissonance with facts as related by Indigenous scholars, historians and Knowledge Keepers. Read More →

The art of RRC Polytech grad Leticia Spence is featured in media across Canada and the globe; closer to home, you’ve likely seen it worn proudly by fans and players at Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose games.

For her latest work, Spence — a Graphic Design grad from 2019 — partnered with the College to create this year’s Orange Shirt Day illustration in support of Truth and Reconciliation and the Every Child Matters movement.

Spence’s concept for the shirt came through collaboration with Indigenous staff members at the College, who felt her design provided a beautiful and harmonious representation of all Indigenous Nations.

She grounded the design in Cree floral beadwork and integrated symbols from the Inuit and Métis Nations: fireweed flowers, wild roses, rosebuds and berries. The focus on nature represents the Peoples’ roots in the land, Spence says, while the foundational beadwork carries energy and transfers the art’s intention spiritually.

“I want whoever is wearing this t-shirt to feel a sense of hope and strength as they honour those who are currently being found while knowing that it’s okay to create space to honour themselves as either direct residential school survivors or intergenerational residential school survivors,” says Spence in an artist’s statement that will accompany each shirt sold.

“In difficult times, hope is the one thing we can grasp onto — not only to survive, but to drive us to fight for a world in which we no longer have to cry out for justice, and to reinforce that we deserve to exist.” Read More →

This week, RRC Polytech raised three flags in an act of unity, pride and inclusivity to mark the beginning of National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month.

The Treaty One flag, Red River Métis flag and RRC Polytech’s new inclusive Pride flag will now fly year-round at the Notre Dame Campus in Winnipeg to acknowledge the history of the land, respect for the treaties made on the land, and representation of the people who live here.

“RRC Polytech is committed to enacting Truth and Reconciliation and equity, diversity and inclusion in everything we do. A big part of that is creating representative and inclusive spaces on our campuses,” says Fred Meier, President and CEO of RRC Polytech.

“By raising these three flags, we are demonstrating to staff, students and community members that this is a place where you belong. We know that there are still institutions and situations where 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous and Métis people don’t feel welcome or recognized, but at RRC Polytech we are sending a firm message that everybody belongs and is welcome here.”

The flag-raising was attended by representatives from the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), Peguis First Nation, Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation and RRC Polytech’s Knowledge Keepers Council, along with Elders and Knowledge Keepers from Treaty One Territory. Ray “Coco” Stevenson provided a hand-drum flag song for the ceremony. Read More →