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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Peter MacMillan Award

Peter MacMillanJohn ‘Mac’ MacMillan, retired Ontario Tech director, established this student award as a tribute to his brother, Peter MacMillan (seen left). Peter was a custodian, drummer, and Special Olympian.

Peter lived with what we would now call a “developmental disability”; his brain was damaged at birth. With help from others, he enjoyed living and working independently. Despite, or maybe because of, his disability Peter loved to help people.

He was born December 1955, in Toronto and died at age 50 in Barrie, Ontario. His family chose to adopt their first son, but in their hearts they always felt that Peter chose them.

The Peter MacMillan Award offers financial support to Ontario Tech University students as they complete their studies.

 "Peter was a unique and loving individual. Many people faced with life in mental health institutions would have lost all sense of themselves, not to mention losing hope. Peter, however, maintained his ability to choose what he wanted out of life, and he chose well."
John ‘Mac’ MacMillan, Peter’s brother.

Peter MacMillan Award Donation Form