Break the Chain protest organizers, along with Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, are calling on Nipissing University to promptly address our demands. On April 3rd, 2025, our organizers hosted the Break the Chain student protest - check out the media coverage CTV Northern Ontario​ | 705BLACKFLY​ | YourTV North Bay

Dr. Kevin Wamsley, President of Nipissing University, has claimed that the current external equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and reconciliation audit undertaken by ParriagGroup will transform our campus community. However, a transformation is not possible without untangling Nipissing University from former Ontario Premier Mike Harris’ destructive and colonial legacy.

Harris’ role in the Ipperwash Crisis led to the death of land defender Dudley George in 1995. Harris has also recently caused harm to Indigenous students and particularly, Cheyenne Sego, at a Nipissing University Donor Social event on March 20th, 2025.

We have been assured by Dr. Kevin Wamsley, Renée Hacquard, and Lindsay Sullivan as of April 3rd, 2025, that there will be no reprisals for students, faculty, and staff involved in the Break the Chain movement. We are committed to discussion informed by the Seven Grandfather Teachings - love, wisdom, truth, humility, courage, honesty, and respect. Decisions moving forward need to be transparent and student-focused.

Now is the time to act. Sign onto our list of demands, which are as follows:

1. Immediate renaming of the Harris Learning Library
We understand that the campus library is 50/50 owned by Canadore College and Nipissing University. We are calling for the immediate development of a cross-campus initiative, initiated by Nipissing University, to rename the Harris Learning Library.

We call on Nipissing University to connect with Nbisiing First Nation representatives to rename the campus library in a way that reflects that the library is located on Nbisiing First Nation land.

2. Public apology from Dr. Kevin Wamsley, Mike Harris, and the Joyce Family Foundation for the attendance of Mike Harris at the Donor Social that took place on March 20th, 2025
We are calling for Mike Harris to apologize directly to Cheyenne Sego for his words and actions that caused her harm at the Donor Social on March 20th, 2025. Accountability must be at the forefront of reconciliation. We call on Dr. Kevin Wamsley to maintain his commitment to developing an ethics policy for the announcement of donations (see the current Gift Acceptance Policy) so that this never happens again.

3. Public commitment to fund an Indigenous Student Union
Currently, donations such as the Joyce Family Foundation’s go towards bursaries for students in need. Although we agree that bursaries and scholarships are critically important, we are lacking in leadership development opportunities for Indigenous students. Indigenous students at Nipissing University have a lack of a voice at the decision-making level. Most other Universities, large and small, have an Indigenous Student Union. Given the large percentage of Indigenous students at Nipissing University and the role of NUICE, Indigenous students should have a larger say in their academic experience.

An Indigenous Student Union will include paid positions for students who are involved.

4. Increase in annual funding to the Office of Indigenous Initiatives
Staff and funding cuts to the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) and associated programs have a detrimental effect on student life. OII supports Indigenous and non-Indigenous students through: the Indigenous Foundations Program, Community Service-Learning courses, Wiidooktaadwin mentorship for secondary and post-secondary students, cultural workshops and events, and safe spaces for students to gather, such as the Sacred Space, student lounge (open to all), and much more.

We are calling on Nipissing University to commit to an increase in annual funding to the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. This will benefit all students at Nipissing University and enhance commitments to reconciliation.

5. Fill the position for the Director of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives 
Though there has been profound difficulty in recruiting and hiring a new Director at OII, a lack of a Director points to systemic issues involved on our campus. The Director at OII has historically been an advocate for students, staff, and faculty towards the administrative level; this advocacy has had a strong, positive impact on students.

We call on Dr. Kevin Wamsley and Nipissing University to do more to prioritize recruiting and hiring a Director of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. Our recruitment and marketing teams’ resources could be better utilized for advertising the position of Director of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives.

6. Removal of Mike Harris’s Honorary Degree to Nipissing University
We vehemently disagree with Mike Harris being awarded an Honourary Degree, Doctor of Letters, at Nipissing University in 2010. Given his role in the Ipperwash Crisis in the 1990s, his cutbacks on education and social programs as Ontario Premier, and his latest conduct on our campus; we call on Nipissing University to remove Mike Harris’ Honourary degree. There is no honour in Mike Harris’ legacy.

7. A full public commitment to implementing the equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility (EDIA), and reconciliation audit recommendations from ParriagGroup
We call on Nipissing University to release a public plan, similar to the Equity Action Planning Taskforce (EAPT), to address the implementation of ParriagGroup’s audit recommendations. This plan needs to include how the recommendations will be included in amending Nipissing University policies and the Strategic Plan for 2024-2029. Despite Nipissing University’s Strategic Plan being published on September 29th, 2023 as a “living document,” it has not been amended since and its pathways remain vague.

A full public commitment to implementing ParriagGroup’s audit recommendations will instill more confidence in Nipissing University as an educational institution dedicated to these values. Currently, there are no public plans for implementation, beyond the audit recommendations being forwarded to the Board of Governors.

---

We encourage those reading this to sign onto our demands list and help hold Dr. Kevin Wamsley and Nipissing University accountable to these actions. Dr. Kevin Wamsley, Renée Hacquard, and Lindsay Sullivan have agreed to meet with some Break the Chain organizers and other concerned students next week, on Thursday, April 10th, 2025. Our organizers will keep you updated on the discussions moving forward and any movement towards these demands being met.

Miigwech,
Break the Chain organizing team