A woman in white holding a petse and a long skirt stands next two men wearing dark suits, and a second woman in black, standing atop a dirt pile for a groundbreaking ceremony
(Left to right) Chief Rosanne Casimir, TRU President Brett Fairbairn, Board of Governors Chair Hee Young Chung and Chancellor DeDe DeRose pose at the ground breaking ceremony for TRU's new Indigenous Education Centre. Robert McAlaster/The Omega

Officials break ground on Indigenous Education Centre

On Sept. 19, Secwépemc leaders met with TRU officials to commemorate a new Indigenous learning space expected to be built on campus.

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Ground was broken on Sept. 19, signalling the beginning of TRU’s new Indigenous Education Centre, which is expected to be completed by 2026.

Earlier in the week, the decommissioning and demolition of the former Early Childhood Education building on the site of the new Indigenous Education Centre began.

The project’s expected price tag is $22 million. According to TRU Chancellor DeDe DeRose, once it is finished, the space will serve an important purpose.

“We are celebrating a space that, when complete, will welcome TRU’s Indigenous students, faculty, elders, community and anyone who wants to be connected with Secwépemc values and ideals — a holistic living centre to learn, heal, grow and thrive on our terms in our way,” DeRose said.

The groundbreaking was officiated by TRU’s Secwépemc Cultural Advisor Ted Gottfriedson, who first introduced his daughter, Alexis Gottfriedson, to perform a Secwépemc prayer.

Secwépemc Kúkpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir, with Secwépemc Cultural Advisor Ted Gottfriedson, addresses the audience at the TRU Indigenous Education Centre groundbreaking.

Robert McAlaster/The Omega

After this, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Kúkpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir gave a brief greeting, followed by a welcome and an honour song performed by various Indigenous singers and drummers on site.

“We sang the welcome song, which is an important part of our traditions,” Gottfriedson explained. “We also sing another song, an honour song. We sing it to honour our guests; we sing it to honour ourselves.”

Next, Derose took to the podium, acknowledging the connection between the new building and Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.

“For many of our people, education has never been easy and our communities have carried the weight of painful histories of families torn apart by residential schools.” DeRose, who is from the Esk’etemc First Nation, explained. “This event is significant because it signals a change in post-secondary education at TRU that’s been a long time coming.”

TRU President Brett Fairbairn also addressed the audience during the event, emphasizing the occasion’s significance in his remarks.

A pétse crafted by Secwépemc artist Ed Jensen specifically for the Indigenous Education Centre groundbreaking.

Robert McAlaster/The Omega

“We are celebrating the start of something deeply meaningful. I believe that Secwépemc [people] have always understood that the land is a living entity that sustains and connects us,” Fairbairn said. “[The Indigenous Education Centre] will be a hub for Indigenous students, scholars and community members.”

The event concluded with the ceremonial groundbreaking, or as Gottfriedson called it, “the fake digging.”

While Fairbairn and Board of Governors Chair Hee Young Chung overturned the dirt with shovels, Casimir and DeRose were given two handcrafted pétse–traditional digging sticks used by Secwépemc women—crafted specifically for the occasion by Secwépemc artist Ed Jensen.

“These are traditional digging sticks of our people. These were owned by the ladies in our communities, and they were theirs forever,” Gottfriedson said.

TRU’s new Indigenous Education Centre is expected to be open sometime in 2026.