At UTSC, we are dedicated to implementing the calls to action in Wecheehetowin, the University of Toronto’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Living the intent of reconciliation is a fundamental value of our campus community.
Indigenous Place-making is the restoration of an Indigenous presence within the natural and built environment that may be expressed through language, art and design that is rooted in Indigenous Knowledge and is approached through Indigenous participation and collaboration.
Under the direction of the UTSC Truth, Reconciliation & Indigenous Initiatives Advisory Committee (TRIIAC), the UTSC Sub-Committee for Indigenous Place-making engaged in a consultative process to assign Indigenous names to campus spaces using a variety of Indigenous languages to spaces on campus as part of their committee mandate.
This process was launched in November 2021 by the co-chairs of TRIIAC announcing the renaming of the MW Building and the naming of the Valley Land Trail as well as the language translation for two pathways: the Rock Walk and the Scholar’s Walk. The process involved consultations with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and language speakers as well as Campus-wide community consultation.
