Ont. university will waive tuition fees for students from First Nations whose traditional territory it's on

The University of Waterloo can be seen above. (Facebook)

The University of Waterloo has announced it will offer free tuition to students from two First Nations whose traditional territory covers the land where the university is located.

Starting in the fall, incoming and current students who are members of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) and Six Nations of the Grand River will be eligible to have their tuition fees waived.

Students will need to meet admission requirements for a full-time undergraduate or graduate program at the university to qualify.

“We recognize universities generally, and the University of Waterloo in particular, have an obligation to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action,” said Jean Becker, associate vice-president of Indigenous Relations at UW.

“We feel that this is one way that we can respond to those calls that is concrete and goes beyond the territorial acknowledgements and the other things that we have done so far.”

The university believes it is the first in Canada to fully waive tuition for members of specific First Nations and Becker hopes other institutions will take similar actions.

NOT JUST A RECRUITMENT TOOL

Becker said she knows of only around five students from Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Six Nations of the Grand River currently at the university.

While this move may help increase admissions from those communities, Becker said that’s not the main reason the university made the decision.

“The primary motivation is not a simple matter of thinking ‘Oh, we’re going to get way more students if we do this,’” Becker said. “It is an attempt to acknowledge where we are.”

A ceremony marking the University of Waterloo's commitment to reconciliation is held at the Ceremonial Fire Grounds at United College on Sept. 22, 2022. (Tyler Kelaher/CTV Kitchener)

Also starting this fall, the university says First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students from Canadian provinces and territories outside Ontario will be charged the same tuition as Ontario students. In-province tuition rates will also be extended to Native American students from the continental U.S. in recognition of the Jay Treaty.

“We feel a great deal of gratitude for the land that we’re occupying, which is on the Haldimand Tract and Treaty 3 territory, so we feel that this is a move that addresses the attempt to reconcile with Indigenous people,” Becker said.

The tuition waiver announced Thursday follows a ceremony held in September where the university formally committed to reconciliation, Indigenization and decolonization.

MCFN COUNCILLOR SAYS TUITION WAIVER IS 'A GREAT OPPORTUNITY'

The tuition waiver announced Thursday follows a ceremony held in September where the university formally committed to reconciliation, Indigenization and decolonization.

Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations Coun. Veronica King-Jamieson said she’s been working with local colleges and universities for years, building relationships and trying to make space for Indigenous learners. She’s noticed a marked change in past couple of years.

“They've been saying, ‘How can we help? How can we support?’ And we're not used to that, with people asking us ‘what can I do?’ It’s a good feeling because our relationship wasn't like that before,” she said.

King-Jamieson said the tuition waiver will be “a great opportunity” for learners from the community, but more work still needs to be done to address other shortfalls.

“We know First Nations funding for education is low, compared to the level in the province, and it’s always been a struggle or a fight to ask for additional dollars for tuition so this will be a plus for us,” she said.

“It’s one of the opportunities for them, but it’s not going to do away with the gap in services that already exists.”

In particular, she wants to see continued effort to create spaces at post-secondary institutions where Indigenous students feel like they belong, along with incorporating Indigenous content into syllabuses.

“The vision is that all the programs and courses across the universities and colleges have at least one mandatory course for them to understand… ‘Do you know whose land you're on? Do you know that history?’ Because that's the missing piece.”