La poésie prend les parcs (French activity, multilingual support available)
A creative activity featuring a chalk poetry trail and workshop with Franco-Ténoise poet Amber O’Reilly. Open to everyone, with multilingual support.
Free
Collège Nordique’s accreditation renewed through 2029
Collège Nordique is entering a new stage in its postsecondary development: its certificate of registration as a training institution in the Northwest Territories has officially been renewed for a three-year period, from August 2026 to August 2029.
In a letter to the College, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Caitlin Cleveland confirmed that the institution continues to meet the requirements of the Private Training Institution Regulations through the delivery of postsecondary programming in partnership with recognized and authorized postsecondary institutions.
The renewal also follows a recommendation from the Quality Assurance Review Advisory Committee, in accordance with the Northwest Territories’ Post-Secondary Education Act.
This decision builds on an important milestone reached in 2024, when Collège Nordique first received its accreditation as a postsecondary institution. Initially granted for a two-year period, the first accreditation included certain conditions and areas that the College needed to clarify or demonstrate. The three-year renewal now confirms that these requirements have been met.
Two years of building on this recognition
Since 2024, Collège Nordique has continued to develop its postsecondary programming to meet the needs of people and communities across the North.
Today, the College offers two postsecondary programs in partnership with Collège La Cité: Business Administration Practices and Early Childhood Education. Offered online, these programs provide access to French-language postsecondary education in the North while giving students access to Collège Nordique’s services and facilities.
Alongside the development of its programming, the College has strengthened its quality assurance mechanisms and modernized several aspects of the student experience, including the adoption of MyCreds for issuing diplomas and credentials, the redesign of its Moodle learning platform, and the transition to a new registration system.
“Over the past two years, we have had the opportunity to review and strengthen many of our practices, both in quality assurance and in the systems that support students throughout their learning journey. This three-year renewal confirms the work that has been accomplished and allows us to continue improving the student experience from a strong foundation,” says Mounir Barry, Director of Quality Assurance and Student Experience at Collège Nordique.
These advancements took place during a period of significant growth. In 2024–2025, the College recorded its highest-ever number of registrations, confirming a clear need for French-language education adapted to the realities of the North.
This period of development, however, was not without its challenges.
Moving forward in a changing context
In fall 2025, a significant decrease in federal funding forced Collège Nordique to reassess its operations and priorities.
This new reality reinforced the need to develop a sustainable model for French-language postsecondary education in a northern context characterized by vast distances, small populations, and high development costs.
Against this backdrop, the College introduced its 2025–2028 Business Plan, Forging the Future of Postsecondary Education in the North Through a Unique Model. The plan proposes rethinking how postsecondary education is delivered in the North by focusing on collaboration and resource sharing, more flexible learning pathways, recognition of prior learning and competencies, and educational programming rooted in the realities of northern communities.
The renewal of the College’s certificate of registration through 2029 now provides an important foundation for continuing this evolution.
“This renewal comes at a pivotal moment for Collège Nordique. Over the past few years, we have strengthened our foundations while reflecting on what postsecondary education in the North needs to be. The next three years give us the opportunity to continue this work with our partners, develop programming that truly responds to community needs, and contribute to building a sustainable postsecondary model designed for northern realities,” says Patrick Arsenault, Executive Director of Collège Nordique.
Three years to continue the transformation
Several major initiatives are already underway, offering a glimpse of what the coming years could bring for the College.
Since 2023, Collège Nordique has been working with the Association franco-yukonnaise and the Association des francophones du Nunavut to develop a pan-territorial French-language postsecondary education model.
An important milestone was reached in May 2026 with the completion of the governance model for the future structure. The vision is for Collège Nordique to evolve into a pan-territorial postsecondary structure supported by three campuses located in Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit by 2028.
This collaboration is also grounded in a better understanding of community needs. In 2026, a pan-territorial study involving 454 people from Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut provided a shared picture of French-language education and training needs across the North. The findings will help guide the development of future programming and the next steps in collaboration among the three territories.
By pooling resources and expertise while maintaining strong roots in each territory, this approach aims to increase access to French-language education and develop programming that better reflects the realities of northern communities.
A new milestone through 2029
In 2024, receiving accreditation represented an important recognition for Collège Nordique and for French-language postsecondary education in the North. Its renewal through 2029 now marks a new stage in this evolution.
In her letter, Minister Caitlin Cleveland highlights the territorial government’s commitment to continuing its work with the College to support access to high-quality postsecondary education opportunities in the Northwest Territories. She also thanks the College for its contribution to expanding educational opportunities for NWT residents.
For Collège Nordique, the next three years will provide an opportunity to continue the work already underway: strengthening its postsecondary programming, developing new collaborations, and contributing to an education model adapted to the unique realities of the North.
One mission remains at the heart of this evolution: enabling more people to learn, develop their skills, and contribute to their communities in the North.
Our SOFEDUC accreditation
Collège Nordique is also an accredited institutional member of SOFEDUC, a recognition that reflects the quality of its continuing education practices. With its new certified digital badge, its accreditation status can be verified online at any time.
Published on August 21st 2026