Two local post-secondary institutions are joining forces to better provide education and skill-development opportunities to students in the northwest of the province.
In a joint announcement made on Friday, June 19, at Seven Generations Education Institute’s (SGEI) Rainy Lake campus near Fort Frances, SGEI CEO Brent Tookenay and Confederation College president Michelle Salo commemorated a Relationship Accord that will see both organizations work together going forward to assist each other in providing quality education to students across northwestern Ontario.
will see the two organizations work together to offer, in part, new joint programming in the new school year, with expanded program offerings to come in future semesters. – Ken Kellar photo
The agreement will see each institution support the other with programming opportunities and other collaborative efforts, with SGEI providing post-secondary education to students west of Thunder Bay, while Confederation College will provide education opportunities to students in, around and east of Thunder Bay.
Both parties acknowledge that the partnership is new, and thus, details remain to be worked out. But they say the partnership originated from a desire to provide the best quality of education to students in Northwest Ontario while recognizing and supporting the strengths of each individual organization.
“It was really just coming together and meeting and saying, ‘What can we do?’” Salo said following the signing of the accord.
“We’re in the same places, in the same region, and we think that together we could support learners and be stronger together than we were apart, and really just focusing on the future of learners here in northwestern Ontario. I was just saying this is the time for it to happen… this is perfect timing in terms of where we’re at with our own organizations.”
“I said it earlier in my remarks, about Confederation College having expertise and skills in areas, and same with Seven Generations, and when we bring those things together, we can create the opportunities that relate and make sense in the area,” Tookenay added.
“[Kenora-Rainy River MPP] Minister Rickford talked a bit about road building and partnerships, and we can bring a lot of those partnerships to the table with First Nations. And, as everyone knows, there’s a lot of [economic development] around here, and it’s led by mostly First Nations, so we want to try to help and support that, and we are going to do that through various initiatives and things that make sense for us to do together.”
The new partnership will see two new programs offered jointly beginning in the 2026-27 school year, with Indigenous Advocacy and Business Human Resources programs already lined up and full up with students. Students who complete the course will receive a certificate or diploma that is co-branded with the logos of both institutions, signifying the unified efforts that are at the heart of the collaboration.
Both Tookenay and Salo also acknowledged room for growth in the partnership, including potential expanded presence in the west end of the region for SGEI, though it will also include the closing of Confederation College spaces beginning in 2027.
While there were no concrete details around potential closings at the time of the announcement, Tookenay said it will make sense to re-evaluate the properties both organizations own in efforts to eliminate redundancies and keep costs down, as well as to find ways to keep students closer to home.
“Owning buildings and running buildings is costly,” he said. “But for us being able to meet the community, especially the First Nations communities, what their needs are, and some of that’s community-based, some of that’s here at the campus, some of it’s online, we’re going to reshape how education looks, with values and guiding principles from a First Nations, Anishinaabe worldview, and combine them with the expertise of Confederation College. We’re going to be able to reshape and really create fantastic opportunities together.”
SGEI will open a student residence in Kenora in the fall to address the housing and transportation needs of students going to that campus, some of whom currently travel in from Manitoba to attend classes, and Tookenay said he expects they will lean on Confederation College’s knowledge of operating student residences as they work together, just as Salo said Confederation College will continue to advance reconciliation and broaden cultural learning for their students with help from SGEI.
“Learners will benefit from community-based and culturally grounded learning environments while earning a joint credential between Confederation College and SGI,” Salo said.
“This partnership also reflects something larger across northwestern Ontario. No single institution can meet every need on its own. The challenges and opportunities facing our region require collaboration, shared leadership, and a willingness to work together by building strong relationships. We can create more opportunities for learners and stronger, stronger outcomes for our communities. This work is also important within the broader journey of reconciliation. Reconciliation requires action; it requires institutions to build authentic relationships to recognize indigenous leadership and expertise, and to work together in ways that respect indigenous knowledge, culture, and community priorities.”
The accord-signing ceremony was attended by dignitaries from local First Nations, as well as administration from SGEI and Confederation College. Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford, who shared his congratulations for the partnership and highlighted how it was poised to train the workers who could help advance the province’s work in the Ring of Fire region.
“I’ve had the distinct privilege and honour, frankly, to be part of a very important journey that I think we all saw on the horizon,” Rickford said.
“For the purposes of our government, if you take a look at the major legacy infrastructure projects, the major resource projects, the service sector, healthcare, has emerging leadership from full, meaningful partnerships with First Nations that is inspired and motivated by a workforce of young First Nation people, and we need to focus on that. Just to pick a few examples, of course, we have the prospect of a medical school, bricks and mortar, serving in the region, NOSM University].”
“In that sector, we have the service sector,” Rickford said. “We have most recently signed partnerships with First Nations communities across Northern Ontario, but particularly from the Ring of Fire, west. We are going to be building somewhere in the order of 1,000 km of road into the North in full partnerships with First Nations… who’s going to take up that opportunity and that responsibility to train that workforce? For my part, I vote for Seven Generations Education Institute west of Thunder Bay, and I vote for Confederation College in and around Thunder Bay. We can do this, but we choose to do it together.”
In a press release from SGEI announcing the partnership, Ontario Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security Nolan Quinn also congratulated the two organizations for their new partnership.
“Ontario institutions are building the future-ready workforce that we need to strengthen our local communities, support our businesses, and drive our economy,” Quinn said.
“This partnership between Seven Generations Education Institute and Confederation College will ensure that students across Northwestern Ontario can continue to receive a world-class education that equips them with the skills they need to thrive personally and professionally.”
According to the press release, in addition to the postsecondary programming, both Confederation College and Seven Generations Education Institute will have a presence in northwestern Ontario, with a focus on workforce development and regional partnerships. Confederation College’s Red Lake campus will remain open, and campuses in Greenstone and Marathon will continue to operate as they are.
Learn more about SGEI’s upcoming fall programming in partnership with Confederation College here https://www.7generations.org/post-secondary-programs/.
