Canadians have 'woken up' to the need for Indigenous education, says creator of popular course
CBC
WARNING: This story contains details readers might find distressing
The new director of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute (MIRI) in Hamilton is taking a lead role in helping hundreds of thousands of people better understand Indigenous history in Canada.
Tracy Bear, a Nehiyaw'iskwew (Cree woman) scholar, led the creation of Indigenous Canada, a 12-lesson online course with the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, where Bear was formerly based. She began her term as MIRI director in July.
Since its launch in 2017, Bear says more than 404,000 people have enrolled in the course. It got a major boost after Toronto-raised Schitt's Creek co-creator and actor Dan Levy promoted it on social media in 2020.
The course explores "key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective," including Indigenous storytelling, the history of the fur trade, treaty making, land rights and the arts.
"People are upset that they didn't learn this in school, that this is the first time hearing about it, that their lives would have been so much different or changed if only they knew," Bear told CBC Hamilton.
"People want more. I hate to use the terminology 'woke,' but they've woken up. And as much as our history books previously had tried to downplay this dark history, it's known now. And with every uncovering of graves it's more and more clear that this is a history that we all share and that we all need to learn about and go forward with."
There's stiff competition among prospective home buyers in the St. John's region because the number of listings are unusually low and demand is surging.
Strong attendance and record sponsorship at the Northern Ontario Tourism Summit in North Bay is a good sign the industry is recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, says Destination Northern Ontario.
A group of Halifax residents is asking the Nova Scotia Supreme Court to look at a provincial decision to greenlight a controversial Fall River development.
Parkside Drive is closed in both directions following reports of a sinkhole, Toronto police say.
The Quebec government will present its fall economic update today.
Aggressive patients and lack of security are making nurses feel unsafe in a rural Western Manitoba emergency union, says the Manitoba Nurses Union.
Saskatoon resident Delynne Bortis knew her commute to work Tuesday morning would be particularly difficult.
WARNING: This story contains details of abuse and intimate partner violence:
The amount of money it takes for people to earn a living wage has increased across the province, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The new owner of Ontario steelmaker Stelco says his company "will not disappoint the people of Hamilton and Nanticoke," where the business's major facilities are based.
A Winnipegger is warning others about an intricate scam she says she almost fell for.