Province saves First Nations school at last minute

It's almost a cliche, white North American leaders breaking pacts with Aboriginal citizens for the silliest of excuses. Ontario is no exception. The First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI), Aboriginal owned and run since 1985, recently faced drastic federal funding cuts that almost closed the school. Luckily the province stepped in at the last minute and the Institute can complete the school year. Only catch: there's no guarantee for funding next year.

When I talked to Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario Communications Coordinator Ken Marciniec, he almost laughed at the apparent absurdity in the province's actions. The school has been very successful, around 90% of graduates find work and the organization also runs a secondary school and after-school programs. Yet this is not the first time they've run into funding problems with the government. As Marciniec said: "It is unthinkable that the two governments have not come together yet to figure out a plan because this is not a new problem. The First Nations Technical Institute has not had predictable and sufficient funding for at least four years.”

“We’re talking about students who in many cases have no other educational opportunities provided to them.” And yet they receive less funding per student than other postsecondary institutions in the province, like my own university. It's pretty obvious that the government just doesn't consider the education of these students a priority, especially considering the $2 billion surplus.

Talking to the president of the Institute, Karihwakeron Tim Thompson, I was surprised by his matter-of-fact demeanor as we discussed the school's possible demise. It was evident that FNTI had experienced similar financial upsets before, repeatedly in fact. Let me reiterate that this is a organization that has 90% of grads employed while running a secondary school AND after-school programs. I admire the president's optimism: “The funding insecurity does lead to issues from time to time but overall we feel very strong. We feel very encouraged that there’s a great future ahead.”

PS the article I wrote about this in the Varsity.