Organized around two panels, the Sikumit Aisimajugut - At Home on Ice - ᓯᑯᒥᑦ ᐊᐃᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ  roundtable examined the idea of the home from the inside-out and outside-in in Arctic cultures. 

In 2017, in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada’s Calls to Action, University of Toronto students, staff, faculty and Elders released Answering the Call: Wecheehetowin Final Report of the Steering Committee for the University of Toronto, a document created to ensure the university was in alignment with the TRC with their own Calls to Action. 

The U of T report contained 34 Calls to Action, under six major themes. The Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) set out to support the actions and institutional changes outlined in the Wecheehetowin Final Report, as well as to evaluate the progress made towards truth and reconciliation by creating the Annual Progress Report, which shares that ongoing journey. The report highlights progress achieved under the six themes identified.

"This year’s work reflects both the strength and the complexity of advancing Indigenous initiatives across our three campuses," writes Shannon Simpson of Alderville First Nation, senior director of the Office of Indigenous initiatives at U of T. "We continue to see Indigenous presence deepen through spaces, curriculum, research, governance, and student life. This work is grounded in relationship, accountability, and Indigenous leadership. At the same time, this progress reminds us that reconciliation requires more than intention. It requires sustained  resources, structural change, and care for the Indigenous staff, Elders, Knowledge Holders and community partners who carry this work forward."

Five Daniels initiatives were highlighted in the OII Annual Progress Report:

Indigenous Spaces

The First Peoples Library at the is a collaborative initiative between the Eberhard Zeidler Library and the Daniels First Peoples Advisory Group. Developed as a teaching collection, it supports consultation with faculty members and students on Indigenous knowledge systems, design practices, and histories across the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, forestry and visual arts. The collection includes approximately fifty curated titles that provide hands-on, point-of-need resources to support research, studio projects, and course development. The library continues to grow through materials selected by the Head Librarian, Cathryn Copper, and recommendations from faculty members, students, and First Peoples advisors, ensuring the collection remains responsive to evolving teaching and research needs. Materials are funded and catalogued through the University of Toronto Library system and are accessible by appointment through the Daniels First Peoples Office.

Indigenous Curriculum

Daniels offers an undergraduate course that introduces students to foundational Indigenous knowledge systems, histories, and contemporary realities. The course emphasizes positionality, inviting students to reflect on identity, community responsibility, and relationships to land and treaty territories while engaging with key concepts such as Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, the course explores Indigenous sovereignty, governance structures, languages, philosophies, and relationships to land, alongside treaty-making traditions, colonial policies such as the Indian Act, and their ongoing impacts. Students also examine present-day issues including environmental justice, climate action, gender-based violence, and Indigenous resistance, grounded in key national and international reports and Calls to Action. The course supports critical reflection on settler colonialism and systemic racism, and encourages informed engagement with Indigenous resurgence and self-determination.

Ethical Conduct and Community Relationships

The Wecheehetowin Final Report’s Calls to Action emphasize the importance of investing in education to establish ethical research practices while promoting respectful relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

Daniels advanced community engaged research through Talking Water, a project led by faculty member Jane Wolff with contributions from Trina Moyan, First Peoples Advisor, that brings Indigenous and settler Knowledge Holders and experts together to deepen understanding of Toronto’s waters. Through walks and shared conversations, the project centres relational learning and place-based knowledge. The initiative received initial support through the Daniels’ Mayflower Grant, with an application submitted to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Grant program to support its development over the next four years. The project reflects a commitment to ethical research practices grounded in collaboration, respect, and shared knowledge creation.

Indigenous Students and Indigenous Co-Curricular Education

Building Indigenous Representation at Daniels (BIRD), is a pilot access and outreach program focused on strengthening pathways for Indigenous youth into architecture, design, landscape architecture, forestry and visual studies. Through workshops, open houses, and  community-based learning, the program introduces Indigenous students to post secondary pathways while centering Indigenous knowledge and design principles. Delivered during the 2025/26 academic year, the initiative engages Indigenous youth from Kapapamahchakwew (Wandering Spirit School) and the broader urban Indigenous community, supports mentorship by Indigenous Daniels students and advances the university’s Calls to Action by addressing barriers to access and representation.

The Sikumit Aisimajugut - At Home on Ice - ᓯᑯᒥᑦ ᐊᐃᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ curated by Professor Mason White was held at the Larry Wayne Richards Gallery from December 2025 to February 2026. The exhibition explored concepts of home and housing in Inuit Nunangat, examining domestic spaces, community life, and the broader systems and policies that shape housing across Inuit regions. Through drawings, archival materials, and artworks, the exhibition centred Inuit experiences and perspectives while engaging students and visitors in learning about Indigenous housing, design and lived realities. The exhibition supported co-curricular learning through public engagement, research dissemination, and Indigenous focused design inquiry.

Organized around two panels, the Sikumit Aisimajugut - At Home on Ice - ᓯᑯᒥᑦ ᐊᐃᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ  roundtable examined the idea of the home from the inside-out and outside-in in Arctic cultures. The session was held on January 16.

Read the Indigenous Initiatives Annual Progress Report (PDF)