Northern College’s Timmins campus has a brand new display of Indigenous artifacts. They were donated by the owners of the Polar Bear Trading Post in Cochrane, since the retail store and museum is closing after 18 years.
Owner Leslie Belisle decided to donate the artifacts to Northern as a source of pride and encouragement for all First Nation, Metis, and Inuit students. She says because all of the artifacts were crafted in the north, they should stay in the north.
Among the items on display now are a 19-foot totem pole, a birch bark canoe, handmade snowshoes, and a soapstone carving.