eCampusOntario is proud to welcome Shingwauk Kinoomgaage Gamig as its newest member, marking a significant milestone for Ontario’s postsecondary sector. With the addition of Shingwauk this spring, eCampusOntario now includes all 58 publicly supported postsecondary institutions in Ontario, among them all nine Indigenous Institutes.
“We are proud to join eCampusOntario as part of a growing network of institutions committed to innovation and transformation in higher education,” said Mary Wabano-McKay, President and Chief Academic Officer, Shingwauk Kinoomgaage Gamig. “This membership enhances our ability to integrate digital learning with Anishinaabe ways of knowing, expand access to open educational resources, and strengthen pathways for our learners. We look forward to contributing to and learning from a community dedicated to shaping a more accessible, responsive, and future-focused postsecondary system.”
Launched by the Government of Ontario and formally established in 2014–2015 as the Ontario Online Learning Consortium (OOLC), eCampusOntario initially brought together 45 colleges and universities to accelerate the transformation of digital learning across the province. Since then, the nonprofit has played a central role in increasing participation in postsecondary education and supporting a growing and increasingly diverse membership.
In 2020, Kenjgewin Teg became the first Indigenous Institute to join eCampusOntario. By 2024, member institutions unanimously voted to amend eCampusOntario’s bylaws to formally include Indigenous Institute members on its Board of Directors. Three new Board members were appointed to strengthen eCampusOntario’s support for Indigenous Institutes, advance decolonized governance, and ensure Indigenous perspectives meaningfully shape the organization’s priorities and long-term planning.
Over time, this work has delivered significant value for Ontario. To date, eCampusOntario has generated an estimated five dollars in provincial impact for every one dollar invested, contributed to more than $35 million in savings for over 300,000 learners, and supported more than 140 research and development projects through partnerships focused on student engagement.
A major driver of this impact was the Virtual Learning Strategy (VLS), a significant investment by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security launched in 2020 with an initial $50 million and expanded in 2021. Administered by eCampusOntario, the VLS supported more than 395 projects led by colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes, improving access to higher education for learners across Ontario, including those in rural, remote, Indigenous, and Francophone communities.
“eCampusOntario’s membership now reflects the full breadth of Ontario’s publicly supported postsecondary sector,” said Robert Luke, President and CEO of eCampusOntario. “Comprised of universities, colleges, and Indigenous Institutes from rural and urban communities throughout the province, our members work together to expand opportunity and help build a better future for all Ontarians through digital higher education. Indigenous representation in our membership and our governance ensures we can continue to support equitable education for all across Ontario.”
Today, eCampusOntario enters its next chapter positioned to continue building a more accessible, collaborative, and learner-centred digital postsecondary system for Ontario.
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