News Stories
Dr. Laura Cranmer reawakens Indigenous languages through powerful play
February 8, 2024
The VIU Honorary Research Associate’s play urges reflection on Canada’s collective history and colonial impacts. Warning: Scenes from the Nanaimo Indian Hospital: Reawakening Hul’q’umin’um’, Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwak’wala Languages contains scenes, imagery and language that can be intense and activating. Attendees are encouraged to do what is best for their mental health, including leaving the... Read more
Indigenous speaker elevates the voices of the “Reconciliation Generation”
November 15, 2023
Riley Yesno will deliver the keynote address at VIU’s Indigenous Speakers Series event on November 22. Riley Yesno is part of a generation of Indigenous youth who have grown up with the term reconciliation occupying an ever-increasing share of Canada’s national dialogue. The queer Anishinaabe scholar, writer and commentator from Eabametoong First Nation has spent a great deal of time thinking... Read more
VIU News & Experts: October 6, 2023
October 6, 2023
Grocery store prices, land stewardship and more 🌏 VIU is excited to introduce DiscoverFest, a new, free community event that includes live music, an artisan market, science demos, expert talks, campus tours, activities for kids and teens, food trucks, a beer garden and much more. DiscoverFest is for: Anyone interested in getting out and learning more about VIU Students exploring post-secondary... Read more
Province, First Nations and VIU announce new funding and training for Indigenous guardians protecting coastal lands and waters
October 4, 2023
Partnership between Nanwakolas Council nations and Vancouver Island Universityaddresses urgent need for more Indigenous Guardians across BC VICTORIA, B.C. (Oct. 4, 2023) - An agreement signed today by Nanwakolas Council and Vancouver Island University (VIU) and supported with funding from the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, will provide new Indigenous Guardians with the... Read more
VIU hosts summer camp for Indigenous students
July 6, 2023
The camp is organized by the ‘su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins Indigenous student mentorship program. Making Indigenous youth feel like they belong at university is the goal of a seven-day summer camp taking place at Vancouver Island University (VIU) this August. The Thuy’she’num Tu Smun’eem: Building a Foundation for our Youth summer camp takes place August 6 to 12 at the Nanaimo campus. The camp is... Read more
Indigenous speaker shares story of fight for the return of traditional lands
March 9, 2023
Wilson Williams (Sxwíxwtn), a Squamish Nation Councillor and Spokesperson, will deliver the keynote address at VIU’s Indigenous Speakers Series event on March 20. Wilson Williams (Sxwíxwtn) grew up without knowledge of his culture or history. His parents, both residential school survivors, did not talk about any element of their First Nations background and it wasn’t until Sxwíxwtn was in his... Read more
VIU experts appear live on CBC Nanaimo broadcast
January 27, 2023
Several shows were broadcasting from Serious Coffee on Hammond Bay Road The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation launched its permanent bureau in Nanaimo on Friday, January 27 with a special live broadcast in the Harbour City that featured several experts from Vancouver Island University. The Nanaimo bureau “will focus on telling stories from the mid-and-north Vancouver Island region” states a CBC... Read more
VIU Media Highlights: November 23, 2022
November 23, 2022
Seaweed product research, Christmas magic & sustainable packaging 📦 November is a busy month at VIU. Students are showcasing projects they have been working on all semester, and we have a lineup of community-focused events and campaigns. Top stories VIU students pitch seaweed products to industry tonight What happens when VIU microbiology and culinary arts students work together? Some cool... Read more
Indigenous speaker shares story of fight for the return of traditional lands
November 22, 2022
Wilson Williams (Sxwíxwtn), a Squamish Nation councillor and spokesperson, will deliver the keynote address at VIU’s 2022 Indigenous Speakers Series event on November 29. Wilson Williams (Sxwíxwtn) grew up without knowledge of his culture or history. His parents, both residential school survivors, did not talk about any element of their First Nations background and it wasn’t until Sxwíxwtn was in... Read more
VIU and community partners remember local fallen armed forces members through video memorial
October 28, 2022
VIU video project acknowledges Nanaimo armed forces members' contributions to the First and Second World Wars. Private Reginald Edgar Emblem, a farmer and resident of South Wellington, served in the 72nd Battalion during the First World War. He died at age 20 of influenza and pneumonia in October 1918 and was buried at Seaford Cemetery in Sussex, United Kingdom. Private William Armstrong Syer, a... Read more
Events
Join VIUSU for the third and final workshop in our Decolonize Your Mindset series, focusing on participation and connection. Explore the role of non-Indigenous individuals in cultural events and activities, and delve into discussions on MMIWG, truth, and reconciliation calls to action. We will be joined by Elder Wicksee Cussee Randy Fred.Randy Fred is a member of the Tseshaht First Nation, Port...
Please join us for our Culture event. There will be a traditional Hoop Dancer - Jay Ballentyne- who will grace us with his wonderful gifts of dance and storytelling.
Join us for an 8-week walking, wheeling, learntorun program. Everyone is welcome. All levels. Prizes to be won and there will be a community celebration at the end.
Coast Salish lands and communities are living libraries. From living libraries stem Indigenous language and story. Please join VIU Library to learn together from living libraries for a welcoming hour of introductory hul'q'umi'num' language and story. Anyone interested in listening, learning and speaking hul'q'umi'num' is welcome to register and attend these sessions.
Join us for an 8-week walking, wheeling, learntorun program. Everyone is welcome. All levels. Prizes to be won and there will be a community celebration at the end.
Coast Salish lands and communities are living libraries. From living libraries stem Indigenous language and story. Please join VIU Library to learn together from living libraries for a welcoming hour of introductory hul'q'umi'num' language and story. Anyone interested in listening, learning and speaking hul'q'umi'num' is welcome to register and attend these sessions.
Join us for an 8-week walking, wheeling, learntorun program. Everyone is welcome. All levels. Prizes to be won and there will be a community celebration at the end.
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise explores the history of Canada from an Indigenous perspective. The exercise uses blankets to represent the lands of what is now called Canada, and the distinct cultures and nations which live on those lands to this day. Participants represent the First Peoples; when they move onto the blankets, they are taken back in time to the arrival of the Europeans. The Narrator...
Banting Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Morgan Mowatt (University of Victoria) will give a talk titled "A Package Deal: Indigenous Knowledge, Culture and Political Authority-Making" during a catered lunch.
Jarislowsky Research Chairs in Trust and Political Leadership Dr. Cris de Clercy (Trent University) and Dr. Michael MacKenzie (VIU) will give a joint talk titled "Contemporary Challenges in Democratic Leadership and Public Trust" during a catered lunch.