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2023-10-18
Company Culture
A scholarship encouraging indigenous perspectives in landscape architecture
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In collaboration with the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF), BC2 awards its $4,400 Indigenous Scholarship to a student who demonstrates achievement, creativity, leadership and dedication to the empowerment of indigenous peoples and landscapes through study, design, research or engagement. This year, for the first time, the BC2 Indigenous Scholarship was awarded to University of Manitoba student, Jordan Cantafio.
BC2 had the pleasure of welcoming Jordan to Montreal for a week. He was able to meet with various departments, tour current projects, give an internal talk on his research project, and participate in a panel at a media conference in Kahnawà:ke, alongside BC2 experts and the Grand Chief of Kahnawà:ke, Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer.
“The BC2 Indigenous Scholarship provides support for future generations of landscape architects from indigenous communities to increase the reach of their voices and, thereby, ensure that their knowledge of the land is more widely disseminated throughout the profession.“
Marie-Pierre McDonald, Vice-President, Associate, Landscape Architect
Jordan’s innovative research project focuses on using macrophytes to decontaminate the water of the English-Wabigoon River in Ontario, which is affected by a chlorine plant. Jordan is also involved in promoting indigenous representation within the faculty of the University of Manitoba.
“My internship focuses on a regional waterway analysis and proposes to reallocate contaminated sediment accumulated behind hydroelectric dams on the Winnipeg River system to be cleaned with macrophytes and released back into the waterway. The BC2 bursary gave me valuable time and resources to focus on completing my internship. As part of the bursary, I also had the opportunity to spend a week with the BC2 team, which included site visits, trips to Université de Montréal and a panel discussion within the Kahnawà:ke First Nation. These experiences were both enriching and invaluable to the pursuit of my work, both academically and professionally. “
Jordan Cantafio, Landscape Architecture student at the University of Manitoba.
The BC2 scholarship embodies the company’s commitment to inclusivity, knowledge enrichment and support for emerging talent. One bursary at a time, the firm fosters the emergence of influential indigenous voices in the field.
Congratulation Jordan!