John Abbott College unveils Indigenous inspired garden
A new garden and microforest, years in the making, have been inaugurated at John Abbott College in Montreal.
The green space, called Kahnikonri:io, meaning "good mind" in Mohawk, serves as a living classroom. It combines traditional Indigenous wisdom with Western scientific practices in the fight against climate change.
"That's how we hope to carry ourselves. We carry ourselves with a good mind, meaning that when we interact with others, we carry those values of sharing, cooperation and reciprocity, collaboration," said Kim Tekakwitha Martin, the Dean of Indigenous Education at the college.
The garden contains native and medicinal plants. It's a space to gather and relax and to hold cultural activities.
"To be able to exchange the knowledge bases of Western empirical scientific knowledge with the traditional knowledge and stewardship of the Earth, and really those two are the same, they're just speaking different languages," said Martin, who is Mohawk from Kahnawake.
"And so, to be able to have students come here and non-Indigenous and learn of traditional knowledge, alongside the scientific knowledge and how we can work together and help to address this climate issue."
The microforest, which will fill out in the years to come as students connect with nature, is also an opportunity for environmental stewardship.
Chris Levesque, a biology instructor at John Abbott, said students will use sensors and other modern tools to measure the impact of the microforest on the local environment.
"We have 600 trees in the microforest. That's 14 different native species that have started growing. And as they grow, they remove, greenhouse gases," he explained.
"As we know when there are trees, it tends to cool down the air, so it buffers the temperature, especially during the heat waves."
The college also hopes the garden will be a space where Indigenous students will feel at home.
"We're hoping that people will come here, grow, develop good minds and move forward in the world and pursue their dreams," Martin said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Canada will be absolutely fine': Justin Trudeau, his ministers and Pierre Poilievre congratulate Donald Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday morning on his second United States presidential election win, amid questions about how the federal government intends to navigate a second term.
What Donald Trump's election victory could mean for Canada
Following president-elect Donald Trump's decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. Here's a look at the different areas in which a second Trump presidency may affect Canadians.
Kamala Harris concedes: Here's what she said in her speech
Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris conceded the U.S. election to Republican Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon, telling her supporters that her 'heart is full.'
Canada orders wind up of TikTok's Canadian business, app access to continue
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok's Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Newfoundland hockey player suspended, banned from local arena after off-ice fight with fan
A combination of a thrown stick and thrown punches have given a senior hockey player in Newfoundland a three-game suspension and an indefinite ban from one of his league's six arenas.
Controversial Australian Olympic breakdancer 'Raygun' retires from competition
Australian breaker Rachael Gunn has told a Sydney radio station that she plans to retire from competition just three months after her unconventional routine at the Paris Olympics led to her being ridiculed and spawned conspiracy theories about how she qualified for the Games.
Sleepy during the day? You may be at higher risk for a pre-dementia syndrome, study finds
If you find yourself sleepy during your daily activities in your older age, you may need to consider it more than an inconvenience — since the fatigue may indicate you’re at higher risk for developing a condition that can lead to dementia, a new study has found.
Kamala Harris made a historic dash for the White House. Here's why she fell short.
"Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn't mean we won't win," U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday in her concession speech.
Who won the popular vote? U.S. election vote totals from the past 40 years
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday morning, was also ahead in the popular vote. Historically, though, the candidate with the most votes hasn’t always won the contest.