Punnichy’s Carlton Trail College adds training centre for adult students
- EFN Staff | December 13, 2017
A new training centre opened in Punnichy on Friday, December 8th where approximately 70 people attended the event that consisted of an elder blessing, a pipe ceremony, speeches, drumming, ribbon cutting and tours. Carlton Trail College now holds the Four Winds Learning Centre that will serve adult students in education, training and student services in Punnichy and First Nations communities in the area.
“The Four Winds represent the four seasons, the four directions, four colours of the medicine wheel, and the four surrounding First Nation communities. We are all brothers and sisters,” said Elders Irvin Buffalo and Joan Manitopyes in a media release.
In collaboration with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, representatives from George Gordon, Kawacatoose, Day Star and Muskowekwan First Nations, Touchwood Agency Tribal Council and the Village of Punnichy along with the Carlton Trail College found ways to incorporate the Indigenous culture of the area into the centre.
“Our goal for the centre was to create a safe, welcoming, inclusive learning environment for all learners,” said Carlton Trail College’s President and CEO, Shelley Romanyszyn-Cross. “We wanted the centre to respectfully and appropriately showcase the rich heritage and spiritual beliefs of the area, to promote community and cultural cohesiveness, and to promote and display local artistic talent.”
The collaborated group held a naming contest to the surrounding communities in which the centre’s name was selected and “Buffalo” and “Eagle” as selected as the classroom names. Cree and Saulteaux translations for the each of the names will be displayed at the centre along with a large interior mural that will be painted by Indigenous artists, Joseph Pelletier and Brent Fisher.
A statement from The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development said, “This historic investment by the Government of Canada is a down payment on the government’s vision to position Canada as a global centre for innovation. That means making Canada a world leader in turning ideas into solutions, science into technologies, skills into jobs and start-up companies into global successes. Congratulations to the Carlton Trail; College on the grand opening of the renovated Punnichy Training Center with the help of the Post-Secondary Investment Fund.”
Two years ago, the college purchased a church from the Village of Punnichy to establish a training centre to serve the education, training and student services needs of adult students in Punnichy and surrounding area.
A year later, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Advanced Education provided $117,500 and the Federal Government’s Post-Secondary Institution Strategic Investment Fund provided another $117,500 to fund renovations. The renovations were completed earlier this fall.