Climate justice is reconciliation

As Manitoba school divisions face growing climate-related pressures — from aging infrastructure to extreme weather events — boards of education are being forced to confront how environmental decisions intersect with equity, reconciliation, and their responsibility to future generations.

Land acknowledgments have become a familiar part of public life in Manitoba. We hear them at meetings, conferences, and school events. They matter. But acknowledgments are only a starting point. If reconciliation is to mean anything beyond ceremony, it must show up in the decisions we make — especially those that affect land, climate, and the lives of students yet to come.

As chair of the environmental advisory committee of the Winnipeg School Division, I see climate justice not as a side issue or a “green” initiative, but as a governance responsibility. It is also inseparable from reconciliation.

Climate change does not affect all communities equally. Indigenous communities are often among the first to experience its impacts — through flooding, wildfires, food insecurity, or the loss of land-based cultural practices. This is not accidental. It reflects a long history of colonial policies that displaced Indigenous Peoples from their lands, disrupted traditional stewardship systems, and prioritized short-term economic gain over long-term care for the environment.

When we talk about reconciliation without talking about climate justice, we risk ignoring one of the most urgent ways colonial harm continues today.

School boards may not be the first institutions people think of when it comes to climate action. Yet boards of education make decisions every day that shape environmental outcomes. We govern buildings that will stand for decades. We approve transportation systems that contribute to emissions. We oversee land use, energy choices, and long-term capital planning. These are not neutral decisions. They have real consequences for communities and for students.

Last Dec. 10, members of the environmental advisory committee toured the ENVELOP project at Gordon Bell High School. The project improves energy efficiency and reduces emissions, while also creating healthier, more resilient learning environments. This is what climate justice looks like in practice: governance decisions that recognize environmental responsibility, student well-being, and long-term sustainability as inseparable.

Trustees are stewards. We govern on behalf of children and youth who will live far longer with the effects of climate change than we will. That reality alone should compel us to treat climate justice as a core part of our work — not an optional add-on or something to be addressed later.

Climate justice also forces difficult questions at the board table. When infrastructure fails during extreme heat or flooding, or when environmental risks disrupt learning, it is often the most vulnerable students who are affected first. Climate, equity, and student success are deeply connected.

Indigenous worldviews offer important guidance. Many Indigenous knowledge systems understand land not as a commodity, but as a relationship that carries responsibility. Stewardship is about thinking generations ahead, not just to the next budget cycle. For school boards, this challenges governance models that prioritize short-term efficiencies over long-term care.

This does not mean speaking for Indigenous communities or appropriating Indigenous knowledge.

It means listening, building respectful relationships, and allowing those teachings to inform how we think about accountability and risk in public education.

Climate justice cannot rest with a single committee. It must be embedded into governance culture and influence how priorities are set and success is defined. Students already understand this.

Young people across Manitoba are asking honest questions about climate change and their future.

Taking those concerns seriously is not a threat to leadership — it is a measure of it.

For trustees and education leaders, this moment invites reflection.

Are our environmental decisions aligned with our commitments to reconciliation and equity?

Who benefits from our choices, and who bears the cost of inaction?

Are we governing with future generations in mind?

Reconciliation is not a statement. Climate justice is not a trend. Both require ongoing commitment, humility, and courage. For school boards, that means ensuring our words about reconciliation are matched by decisions that respect land, honour Indigenous rights, and protect the well-being of future generations.

If we acknowledge the land, we must also accept responsibility for it.

Climate justice is reconciliation in action — and public education governance is one place where that action must begin.

Ann Evangelista is the chair of the environmental advisory committee, Winnipeg School Division and Manitoba School Boards Association (MSBA) regional director.