The School of Indigenous Governance would like to welcome our newest Faculty members for our upcoming Fall 2026 term. We welcome Dr. Michaela McGuire and Dr Tory čınus Johnston, 2 Indigenous Scholars that bring some incredible knowledge and experience to the IGOV team. Please welcome them as they start their new roles with IGOV on July 1, 2026The IGOV team.
The School of Indigenous Governance would like to invite prospective students to attend an Information Session to learn more about our Masters’ and PhD programs in Indigenous Governance.
On November 20, 2025, the School of Indigenous Governance invites prospective students to learn about our Masters' and PhD programs.
Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark, Associate Professor at the School of Indigenous Governance, was named New Member of the College of New Scholars.
Indigenous peoples have ideas for planetary health through resurgence and restoration. From the Archipelagos Collective, Heather Castleden and Hōkūlani Aikau bring you conversations with Indigenous artists, activists, and academics who are tackling the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution through daily acts of asserting self-determination to broad trans-Indigenous collective action.
Read more: The Indigenous Planetary Health Podcast with IGOV Professor Hōkūlani Aikau
One grant, worth almost $2.3 million, is called “Archipelagos of Indigenous-led Resurgence for Planetary Health.” The shared leadership of this grant includes School of Indigenous Governance Director Hōkūlani Aikau and School of Public Administration’s Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health Heather Castleden. Five Indigenous early career researchers are co-applicants, including Indigenous Governance Assistant Professor Dawn Smith.
Read more: IGOV & HSD researchers secure health grants worth $5 million
Cheryl Recollet, a Wiikwemkoong Unceded First Nation member, is exploring Anishinaabe governance and treaty relations in UVic's Indigenous Governance PhD program.
Mowatt, a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow in Indigenous Governance and at the Centre for Indigenous Research and Community-led Engagement (CIRCLE) at UVic, says relations between Indigenous nations and the Canadian state continue to be framed in ways that undermine Indigenous sovereignty.
