$48M Blood Tribe college campus nears completion

Towering atop a hill in Stand Off, Alta., Red Crow Community College’s (RCCC) new campus is a sight that’s hard to ignore.

Roy Weasel Fat, the school’s president, said thoughts of a new building have been percolating for the last 25 years.

The RCCC was established in 1986 to offer academic upgrading and adult education, and became the first tribal college in Canada in 1995.

It initially opened inside the former St. Mary’s Residential School on the Blood Tribe, and would stay there until a fire — which investigators deemed to be arson — destroyed the building in 2015.

Since then, the campus has been operating out of an old elementary school adjacent to the new site in Stand Off, along with a satellite campus Lethbridge, Alta.

“It was not really conducive for our community members to go and attend a building with not a very good history,” Weasel Fat said.

According to Weasel Fat, the $48-million project is funded in part by the Blood Tribe and the provincial and federal governments.

The school expects around 400 students will be transitioning into the new campus in the fall. However, it has the room to house up to 900 students.

Currently, the RCCC employs approximately 60 people, a number Weasel Fat said can increase to 200 at the new building.

“All those students who are travelling out to other urban centres (to attend post-secondary institutions) will now be studying here at Red Crow College, in their own community.”

1:52 Construction to start on new Blood Tribe supportive housing complex

Andrea Gayle Fox, a member of the Blood Tribe, was hired to work on site a couple of weeks ago.

“It’s a beautiful college,” she said. “It has two levels, it has beautiful atriums. So for us to have that (to help) continuing on our educational journey, starting on our educational journey.

“We’re very blessed to have this.”

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For those who previously attended the college, like Elder Pretty Shield, the learning experience itself could have been better.

He described what he learned as “Western education.”

“It was quite boring to me,” the board member admitted. “I wanted to learn more about our way of life, and now that Red Crow Community College has integrated that into the curriculums, (it) is a big move forward for our tribe.”

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With this expansion, the school is able to expand its program offerings. It currently offers programs such as adult upgrading, agriculture, social work, arts and science and more.

“This is going to be one of the best colleges in Canada — maybe even North America — among First Nation communities,” Elder Pretty Shield said.

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“With all these programs that we have developed, we have infused Blackfoot culture in every program,” Weasel Fat explained.

“Currently we’re developing our own Niisitapi teacher education program. It’s a four-year degree program that will be offered very soon.”

The RCCC plans to starting moving into the building after construction wraps up this summer, with a grand opening expected in late October.