Miziwe Biik – Celebrating 30 Years

In the heart of Toronto’s West Don Lands, the newly opened Miziwe Biik Education and Training Centre stands as a long-awaited achievement for the City’s urban Indigenous community. The Centre is the culmination of more than a decade of determined planning, advocacy, and partnership, designed to provide culturally grounded training and education opportunities in the skilled trades.

The initiative began in 2009, with an early vision focused on combining Indigenous arts with housing. Over time, Miziwe Biik refined its priorities, recognizing a more pressing need: a dedicated space to deliver Indigenous-led education and pre-apprenticeship training. That shift in focus led to the development of a purpose-built facility, grounded in Indigenous values, tailored to workforce development, and responsive to the needs of the urban Indigenous community.

Central to the project’s success was the acquisition of Block 10—now home to the broader Indigenous Hub that includes healthcare, childcare, and education facilities. Through strategic collaboration with government, Indigenous organizations, and development partners, Miziwe Biik helped anchor a multi-use site that prioritizes long-term benefits for Indigenous people living in Toronto.

The Centre features dedicated classroom space, carpentry and trades workshops, and floors reserved for Indigenous-led childcare and early childhood development programming. It was designed using Indigenous architectural principles, with materials and features that reflect cultural significance—most notably, a birchwood-inspired exterior that nods to Indigenous teachings and traditions.

Miziwe Biik played a lead role throughout the project, investing its own resources and working closely with all three levels of government and partners including Anishnawbe Health Toronto and Dream Kilmer. The end result is a $20 million, fully funded facility, purpose-built to support skills development, career readiness, and cultural revitalization.

The Centre represents more than infrastructure. It is a symbol of sustained Indigenous leadership, intergovernmental cooperation, and a commitment to building lasting capacity within the community. It demonstrates what can be achieved when Indigenous organizations lead the development process and when partnerships are built on mutual respect and accountability.

Led by Nancy Martin’s steady determination, this project is a monument to community-led success. And as part of the City’s only Indigenous-led hub of its kind, the Miziwe Biik Education and Training Centre establishes a long-term foundation for Indigenous people to access training and career opportunities in an environment that honours their identity, heritage, and future. It’s a space that says: we belong here—and we’re building the future.