TMU Athletic Centre

Leach, J. (2021, October 12). The RAC reopens with new immersive space dedicated to local indigenous history. Toronto Metropolitan University: https://www.ryerson.ca/news-events/news/2021/10/the-rac-reopens-with-new-immersive-space-dedicated-to-local-indigenous-history/

• In the fall of 2021, the new First Nations Immersive Space in the Ryerson Athletic Centre (RAC) opened.
• In the cardio and strength circuit room “Ryerson’s Athletics and Recreation department worked with Indigenous colleagues and the university’s Indigenous Space Sub-Working Group (ISSWG) to find a space where local Indigenous history and wellbeing practices would be recognized.”
• The space welcomes new visitors with an Ojibwe greeting, “Aaniin,” and, “I see your light” in English. “Upon entering the activity space, you are met with floor to ceiling imagery of nature. The concept of bringing trees, plants, wildlife, and water into the RAC was a collaboration between Athletics and Recreation and the ISSWG.”
• Emmy-award-winning Anishinaabe artist Caroline Brown, who comes from Teme-Augama Anishinabai (People of the Deep Water), Whitebear family, Loon clan and Temagami First Nation, executed the beautiful piece displaying a nod to Taddle Creek, the waterway that ran beneath the current location of the RAC and flowed into Lake Ontario until the early 1860s. 
• “Photography for the project was taken this summer near the Toronto Islands by Ryerson alumna, Natalia Dolan”.
• “Educating the community about Taddle Creek and the local Indigenous history is an integral part of the First Nations Immersive Space. Professor and Indigenous advisor at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Michael Mihalicz, also a member of the ISSWG, has conducted research on Taddle Creek as part of his published work titled St. James Square & The Lost Rivers. According to Mihalicz’s research, Taddle Creek had been a place for various Indigenous Nations to gather and fish. The trail that ran through the current site of the RAC would have been used by the Mississaugas and others.”
• The space is intended to be an area where students can positively adjust to returning to campus and prioritize their wellbeing while connecting with nature.