Mohawk set to transfer Brantford campus to Six Nations Polytechnic

Mohawk College is in negotiations to transfer their vacant Brantford campus to Six Nations Polytechnic, an indigenous educational institution in Ohsweken. 

The 130,000-square-foot Elgin Street Campus has capacity for 1,200 students, many more than the one building Six Nations Polytechnic occupies right now, said president Rebecca Jamieson.

"Our current facility is maxed out if we have 200 students," she said. "There is the potential for very strong growth."

'This is our role...to fill the knowledge gap for indigenous learning in the province.' —Rebecca Jamieson, Six Nations Polytechnic

That growth, Jamieson said, would allow her institution to become hub for indigenous learning. It would also mean more partnerships with students at other local institutions like McMaster University and Mohawk as well as program expansion.

"This is our role," she said. "To fill the knowledge gap for indigenous learning in the province."

Jamieson said the institution has a submission in with the Ontario government for degree granting status for indigenous languages, as an example as what the school can do with more space.

"We have a diploma offered with McMaster, but we could offer a degree on our own," she said.

• Related: McMaster's indigenous students have eyes on success

Jamieson and Mohawk College president Rob MacIssac won't discuss any details of the building transfer quite yet, but said the idea has been floating around for a while.

"We meet with them regularly and the topic of the Elgin Street campus came up," MacIssac said. "Both sides saw an opportunity."

The Elgin Street site, operational since the 1970s, is a long-time campus for Mohawk College, MacIssac said. It most recently housed police foundations and wellness programs but those programs were transferred to the Fennell Campus in Hamilton this summer.

Jamieson hopes to be able to release details about the building transfer next month.