A digital technology hub intended for information technology (I.T.) training is now operational on White Bear First Nation. Having the hub on the community will allow students to attend and learn close to home, as well as be close to their families and friends. “They’re going to be still connected to the community, still have that support system close by and have a higher chance of success,” said Jonathan Pasap, the Chief of White Bear First Nation. The community decided to pursue the hub because of the rising use and progression of technology. As well as to join the tech sector that continues to grow and evolve. Savannah Standingready is a councillor for White Bear First Nation. She said over the past 20 years, technology has grown so quickly, it is hard for some to keep up. “Although that can be intimidating, I think if we lean into it with initiatives like this it’s going to be nothing but an asset for us,” she said. Lexcom is one of the partners who made the tech hub possible. Joseph Goodwill, the vice president of Lexcom, said now is the time for Indigenous nations to get involved in technology training. “The future is about technology. It is moving so rapid,” he said. “If we miss this time frame within the next five years, we are going to fall further behind as far as [First] Nations are concerned.” Aside from tech learning, the network and hardware installed in the hub can be used in other ways. This includes working as a help centre for those with various tech issues. “I hope this space gets used for other purposes the [First] Nation might need. Whether it’s for health care, security monitoring or any other purpose,” said David Smiderle, the project coordinator of the digital technology hub. The first cohort will be pursuing an I.T. technical diploma beginning in October. The initiative was made possible through partnerships with Humber Polytechnic, RBC, Lexcom, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies and others. It took over a year of planning and assembling for the hub to complete. It was unveiled Aug. 6.
