Our registration process is online.

Please go to the following survey to provide your registration information and arrange for payment. You'll need to print the waivers, sign them, and return them to the Champlain College by email or drop them off at the office. Every participant, including presenters and musicians, needs to register and complete the waivers!

If the link doesn't work, copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://trentu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0MUSu93buWqUyRE

If you have any trouble with the registration, please contact Tina Fridgen at Champlain College <champlain.ca>.

Waivers will follow closer to the date of the event. Registration is only finalized once payment has been received.

The trip is sponsored by the Bruce and Carol Hodgins Fund and organized by Champlain and Gzowski College at Trent. Payment by visa can be made through the registration survey which links you to Trent Marketplace. Alternatively myTrent Cash, or cash can be paid in the Champlain College office.

Student subsidized fee: $150

Staff/Faculty/Community member fee: $250

Students looking for more financial support for the weekend can contact Melanie Buddle, Principal of Gzowski College, to learn more about funding options <gzowski@trentu.ca>.

Travelling to camp from Trent (about 5 hours and 30 minutes):

For those travelling by bus from Trent, please meet at the parking lot behind Champlain College at 8:30am on THURSDAY before the trip. Bring a bag lunch or some money to buy lunch en route (we'll stop twice but, for the morning coffee drinkers, note that we typically travel 2 hours without a bio-break!). We should arrive back in Peterborough about 9pm on Sunday evening. The driver normally stops at Trent and one or two places downtown. Anticipate and plan to be tired when you return Sunday night. Travelling to camp in your own vehicle:

If you are driving your own vehicle, please know that the Red Squirrel Road is an unmaintained gravel road with active logging. There can be a few washouts on the road so please drive with caution. If you are driving, please plan to leave early enough to arrive before dusk (about 7:30pm in late September) and let us know beforehand when you expect to arrive. For detailed directions, please go to Trent Temagami Colloquium: Wanapitei: About and Directions (trentcolloquium.blogspot.com)Physical demands and hike in to camp:

There is a 1 km hike from the parking to the camp. Please be prepared to carry ALL of your belongings for this distance. A backpack or canvas duffle bag is recommended.

Accommodations:
Camp Wanapitei is a summer camp and the cabins are rustic but comfortable, with bunk beds and mattresses. Most cabins are not heated and it can be cold at night. We do not provide bedding so you will need a sleeping bag rated for minus 7 °C or colder (or two summer bags with one inside of the other). If you think you might need a warmer sleeping bag, please contact Tina Fridgen at Champlain College as they have some to lend. You may want to bring a single fitted sheet to put on the mattress. There is running water on site but not in the cabins. There are outhouses with toilet paper near each cabin. There is no internet or cell coverage at the camp and the power is turned off at 11pm each evening. Should a family member need to contact you in the event of an emergency, a message can be left at the camp office: (705) 237-8830.

We will discuss other on-site safety rules at camp.

It is helpful to bring a thin base thermal layer to keep you dry and warm and have multiple layers of clothing that you can take on or off as you need.    But when you are packing, don't forget that the walk from the parking lot to camp is 1 km!Weather:
Be prepared for a wide range of weather. The temperature may vary from 20 °C during the day or you could wake up to snow outside your cabin. Please also be prepared to be outside in the rain. Did we mention a toque?

Food and meals: We have lots of great food at mealtimes. We ask that you do not bring your own food as animals can get into the cabins. If you have special dietary needs and must bring food (send Beth Albert an email and we can discuss what you should bring), please bring it to the main kitchen for storage. IMPORTANT***Our Dining Hall and Cabins are NUT FREE and some participants do have nut allergies. 

Alcohol: We committed to maintaining a welcoming social environment that respects the diverse cultural practices and attitudes of all our participants, and to the safety and welfare of all members of our community. We ask that participants not consume alcohol or cannabis during the weekend.

Should a person or group of people engage in illegal, unsafe or disruptive behaviour related to the consumption of alcohol or controlled substances, staff and faculty from Trent and staff from Wanapitei maintain all rights to take action to stop this, including the removal of participants from the weekend, where the costs for travel home will be entirely the responsibility of the participant.

Swimming: If you choose to swim, the water is cool. Swimming is not supervised and there are no lifeguards. 

Equipment and Supplies: Wanapitei has paddles and canoes for participants.  If you have or can borrow a lifejacket, please bring it; there are some lifejackets but not enough for everyone so we rely on some people bringing their own. There is also a "Tuck shop" where you can purchase camp gear (water bottles, Wanapitei t-shirts, sweaters, track pants, yoga pants, toques, etc.). It will be open from time to time throughout the weekend.

Sleeping: Most cabins are not heated and it can be cold at night. We do not provide bedding so you will need a sleeping bag rated for minus 7 °C or colder (or two summer bags with one inside of the other). If you think you might need a warmer sleeping bag, please contact Tina Fridgen at Champlain College as they have some to lend. You may want to bring a single fitted sheet to put on the mattress.

Clothing: You should try to bring clothes for camping and outdoor pursuits. In addition to the clothes you want to wear during the day for hiking or canoeing, please bring a toque, mitts, rain coat, warm clothing, extra socks, an extra pair of shoes, flashlight/headlamp, and water bottle. There is a sauna so bring your bathing suit.To sum up, please bring: 

• Backpack for all of your stuff (it is a 1 km hike into the camp)
• Rain gear (we are outside rain or shine). If it's raining when we get off the bus, you should be wearing boots or hiking shoes as the trail in to camp can be muddy. Sandals are handy for in camp. 
• Clothing/shoes for canoeing and hiking.
• Warm clothes for the evenings (layers are good). 

• Bathing suit, towel.  
• Warm sleeping bag (rated for -7 C or colder), pillow, and extra blanket 
• Personal water bottle 

We will be hosting a virtual information session to share more information about preparing for the trip Sept 10th at 7pm. A link will be shared with all who have registered.

Questions about logistics and items needed contact Tina Fridgen <cfridgen@trentu.ca>

The colloquium includes outdoor activities during the day (canoeing, hiking, skills building activities), 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks), learning from Elders, faculty, alumni, and graduate students, and evening entertainment.

2023 Trent Temagami Colloquium Theme: “Living Relationships: Indigenous Rights, Reconciliation, and the Land”. The Agenda will be posted by the Colloquium working group soon. Contact Stephen Hill <stephenhill@trentu.ca> for questions.

51st Annual Trent Temagami Colloquium

September 21-24, 2023

SCHEDULE (note that the schedule may be changed)

Thursday, September 21

8:30 -9:00        Trent students prepare to depart on the bus from Champlain College Parking Lot. Lunch en route.

3:00-5:50         Arrival, Registration at Dining Hall. Settle into cabins.

6:00                  Welcome. Chief Shelly-Moore Frappier (Dining Hall)

6:05-7:00         Dinner (Dining Hall)

7:30 -8:00        Introduction to Colloquium. Stephen Hill & Peter Andree (Chateau)

8:00-8:30         Film. Temagami: A Living Title to the Land. James Cullingham (Chateau)

8:30-9:30        N’Daki Menan. Temagami First Nation Chief Shelly Moore-Frappier/Teme-Augama Anishnabai Leadership (Chateau)

9:30               Evening snack, poetry & music (Chateau) With Marvyn Morrison, Wayne Potts, Walter Quinlan and others

Friday, September 22 (day’s events interchangeable with Saturday, weather dependent)

8:00 sharp        Breakfast. Divide into groups for canoe instruction, hiking, or paddling. Make & pack lunches after breakfast.

9:15-3:30         Day hikes, canoe trips, canoe instruction, lunch in the field. Led by Wanapitei guides.

6:00-7:00         Dinner

7:30-9:00         Belonging. A Discussion with Jeannette Corbiere Lavell. (Chateau)

9:00-9:30         Evening snack, music & poetry (Chateau)

9:30-11:00        Camp Fire (at the point, everyone is invited). Music will be at Red Squirrel.

Saturday, September 23

TIME ON THE LAND

8:00 sharp        Breakfast. Divide into groups for hiking, paddling or canoe instruction. Pack lunches after breakfast.

9:15-3:30         Day hikes, canoe trips, lunch in the field. Led by Wanapitei guides.

4:00-5:00         Panel: Research in action: Food, climate & time. Pearl Finkelzon, Julia Sterling, Corey Mckibbin (Chateau)

5:00-5:45         Talk: Two Centuries of Seizure: The Trust Accounts. Alex Williams (Chateau)

6:00-7:00         Dinner

7:00-8:00         Talk: Cinematic Land Acknowledgements: Brief Introductions, Deep Roots. Tyson Stewart. (Chateau)

8:30-11:00      Square Dance with caller Ben Wolfe (Dining Hall).

Sunday September 24

8:00                  Pack up before breakfast. Bring gear to dining hall.

8:30                  Breakfast.

9:15                  Group photo (at the Dining Hall)

9:30-10:30       Film & discussion: The world as we know it is always ending. Natalie Vaughan Graham

10:45                Portage Challenge

11:00                Early Lunch (Dining hall).

11:45                Departure. Meet at Dining Hall to hike out together.

8ish                   Bus arrival at Trent. Bus will drop people off at Trent and downtown.

*Note that our music comes from everyone who wishes to join in, but we particularly want to thank Wayne Potts, Walter Quinlan, Skye Vasey and Peter Andree for their leadership. We also wish to thank Marvyn Morrison for sharing his poetry.

“Nature will certainly triumph. Whether it will triumph over us, or in us and through us, remains to be seen.”  Wayland Drew, 1973.

In the summer of 1972, Professors John Wadland and Bob Page travelled north to meet with their colleague Bruce Hodgins to scout out possibilities for a Canadian Studies field trip at Camp Wanapitei on Lake Temagami. Hodgins was volunteer director of the camp, in addition to being a professor of history at Trent. Apparently, they liked what they saw because by the next fall, September 1973, thirty-five students and a small team of faculty made the trip north to canoe, hike, square dance, and carry on academic discussions about environmental, Indigenous and Canadian issues.

Forty some years later, what started as the Canadian Studies 200 field trip has evolved into a uniquely Trent tradition. This September, a similar group of students and faculty will set out in a yellow school bus for Temagami. In the intervening years, thousands of people have been drawn to this trip, building a tremendous community of people interested in understanding the land, sustainability, and our human connection to nature.

This legacy is due to the hard work of John Wadland and Bruce Hodgins. Wadland studied under renowned naturalist and environmentalist John Livingston and was keen for his students to challenge the grand narrative of progress and to, perhaps, reclaim some of their humility toward nature and their understanding of its limits. Hodgins and Wadland (and others) developed a passion for these issues and the Teme-Augama Anishnabai's ongoing struggle for justice and their lands, particularly through their friendship with Gary Potts. There was a tremendous team brought this weekend to life each fall for many decades including Page, Fred Helleiner, Alan Wilson, John Milloy, Shelagh Grant, Jim Struthers, and many, many others). Wanapitei and Temagami were an ideal canvas for this, with a history of mining, forestry and cottaging arrayed beside issues of First Nations rights and ecological sustainability.

For the past 15 years, the mantle has been passed to Peter Andree (a Trent alumnus, now a faculty member at Carleton) and Stephen Hill to help organize the weekend, with the help of Beth Albert and folks at Wanapitei. We are grateful that an anonymous donor provided funds in 2014 to help keep the cost of the weekend affordable for students, and that they gave the funds to honour the lifetime of service of Bruce and Carol Hodgins. We've renamed the weekend the Trent Temagami Colloquium to reflect the multiple disciplinary perspectives brought to the weekend and the firm academic footing of our discussion, but we remain committed to the original goals of the trip, namely to encourage people to think critically about our relationship to nature and the land, perhaps best captured by Wayland Drew's words above. 

COVID paused the weekend from 2019-2021 but it is now be reinvigorated by the Colleges at Trent, particularly Champlain and Gzowski, and Wanapitei/Trent alumnus James Cullingham. The focus on community, friendship and the land remain. 
We hope you will join us, and come to appreciate the magic that arises from a dose of physical hardship, paddling, and authentic discussion. 
The Arthur, Trent's student newspaper, has some articles about the trip written by Nick Weissflog (2015), Lindsay Thackeray (2014), and Catherine Monaghan (2012). Other articles can be found in the Trent Magazine (2015) and 2012