Canada will finally have its first Arctic university.

This past week, the Yukon legislature passed a bill to make Yukon College a university. It will be an institution with an Indigenous flavour that will make it as unique as the region it is to serve.

“Everybody knows we’re moving toward something big and something special,” said Tom Ullyett, chairman of the board of governors.

The idea of a northern university has been kicked around since at least 2007 when a survey in all three territories found residents wanted more influence over Arctic research. Northern First Nations have been asking for one for 50 years.

Nunavut and the Northwest Territories have colleges that teach courses toward degrees from southern institutions and have announced plans to broaden their post-secondary offerings.

Yukon College has done the same in science, education and social work and also offers courses towards bachelor’s degrees in Indigenous governance and business administration.

Once the college is transformed, it will become the first institution in the territories to grant a degree under its own name. Diplomas the first graduates of the governance program get next spring will read “Yukon University.”

The institution, which will also offer trades programs, will allow northerners to further their education closer to home. Accessibility is key for the institution, said Ullyett, and its tuition is to remain in the bottom third of comparable southern institutions.

The focus is to remain on the North.

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