UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC EN ABITIBI-TÉMISCAMINGUE
Inauguration of the expansion of the UQAT campus in Val-d'Or

On August 8th, the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) inaugurated the expansion of its Val-d'Or campus. Several government representatives were on hand for this event: the minister responsible for Native Affairs, Geoffrey Kelley, the minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, and minister responsible for the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, Luc Blanchette, member for Abitibi-Est, Guy Bourgeois, as well as the minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Isabelle Melançon. In total, this project is an investment of more than $5 M by the Government of Québec and the federal government, with its Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund (SIF).

UQAT President Denis Martel noted the importance of this project for UQAT: "This First Peoples Pavilion expansion project was a priority for our university, and was eagerly anticipated as much by the wider public as by Aboriginal communities in our region."

The new spaces will support teaching and research connected with Aboriginal issues, as well as new computing infrastructure. This expansion is also in line with the highest standards of environmental quality, as was the construction of the First Peoples Pavilion in 2008.

"This expansion also highlights the importance of growing with, for, and by the region. This of course refers to Aboriginal peoples and their communities, with which we are partners, but also to the citizens of Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du- Québec, who count on us to provide world-class university services across the region," concluded Mr. Martel.

UQAT and Aboriginal Peoples

The Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue has been a partner to Aboriginal peoples since its creation. This special partnership is key to UQAT's development, highlighted by the shared willingness to work together and to ultimately give Aboriginal peoples the means to take on full leadership of university education for the members of their communities. Besides developing programs of study that are respectful of Aboriginal perspectives, UQAT favours a teaching method and access to services that support success, by making the student the core of its mission.