Curving lines, unorthodox patterns and an open, light-filled design define the University of Victoria’s new law wing in the Murray and Anne Fraser Building. Built with a focus on natural materials, with its towering pillars of barkless fir and spruce, the space brings a different look to campus.
Yet, beyond its architecture, the building carries deep symbolic significance as it will serve as a hub for Indigenous law and learning in the region, as First Nations countrywide are working to reclaim and exercise authority over their own legal systems.
On Oct. 8, the University of Victoria hosted a ceremony to mark the official opening of its new law wing, welcoming local, provincial and federal dignitaries, along with representatives from the Xwsepsem (Esquimalt) and Songhees Nations.
One of the first speakers to take the microphone was Sarah Morales (Su-taxwiye), UVic’s associate dean Indigenous.
“It is deeply meaningful to see so many gathered here today,” she said. “People whose hearts, minds, and hands have shaped the work we celebrate.
“This new (building) stands not simply as a building, but as a testament to decades of vision, perseverance, and relationship building. It is the result of countless conversations, partnerships, and commitments; it stands, as we say, on the shoulders of giants.”
Morales added that the day also honoured the legacy of South Island Nations, whose ancestors endured the harms of residential schools yet carried forward their languages, teachings and laws.
“We recognize that this work is for future generations,” she said. “For me, this is deeply personal. My grandmother attended residential school. She carried the weight of that experience with strength and grace.
“And now, generations later, my own children run through these hallways – a space designed intentionally to reflect who they are.”
Robina Thomas (Qwul’sih’yah’maht), UVic’s acting president, was next in line.
In her address, Thomas highlighted the crucial role Indigenous communities, Elders and knowledge keepers played in guiding, inspiring and grounding the project from start to finish.
“This is where Indigenous law meets Canadian common law, not in competition but in conversation, working together to heal, renew, and revitalize,” she said. “It's a space where Indigenous laws, living in adaptive systems of justice, can be learned, researched, practised, and passed on to those yet to come.”
Echoing Thomas’s remarks, Freya Kodar, UVic’s dean of law, said the construction of the new building reflects and advances the priorities set out a decade ago in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. Particularly, call 50, which demands the establishment Indigenous law institutes.
“We gather in a place where the relationships between land and law can be lived and learned,” she said. “This space is going to change the ways that we think about legal education, the ways that we think about Indigenous law in the faculty, across the country and beyond.”
When the building opened to students last September – coinciding with the law school’s 50th anniversary – it welcomed its first cohort of students to study Indigenous law in a space thoughtfully designed to reflect the Coast Salish legal traditions of the Lekwungen and WSANEC peoples.
According to UVic, Indigenous law refers to the legal traditions, principles and processes developed by Indigenous peoples and rooted in their oral histories, stories and teachings. These laws, which vary across Indigenous societies, have long guided how communities address matters such as justice, governance, family and land, long before the arrival of the colonial systems.
Today, Indigenous law is being revitalized and applied as Indigenous communities reclaim authority over their own legal matters, thus building a more inclusive and multi-juridical Canada where Indigenous and non-Indigenous legal systems can coexist and grow.
Representing the federal government was Michelle Adkins, assistant deputy minister with Justice Canada, member of the Haida Nation and UVic alumni.
She explained that after numerous discussions with government and university officials, Adkins emphasized the importance of developing Indigenous justice strategies within Canada’s legal system.
“On behalf of the federal government… we will continue those ongoing discussions to make sure that there is alignment between the work that has been done here as well as the work that we still need to do when it comes to implementing Truth and Reconciliation, under our United Nations Declaration Act,” she said.
Mohawk architect Matt Hickey of Two Row Architect said the 2,400-square-metre building was carefully designed to reflect Coast Salish teachings rooted in Indigenous law.
Although Hickey hails from eastern Canada and was initially unfamiliar with Coast Salish culture, he made listening the driving force guiding his team’s design. Through countless video calls, discussions and meetings with Elders, knowledge keepers and chiefs, Hickey and his team gathered as much input as they could.
“Even though we couldn't physically be in the community, we were virtually in the community,” he said. “Technology became a bridge allowing our team, miles away, to be close to the teachings.”
“It wasn't ideal, but it worked, as you can see in the results of the building you're sitting in today.”
In the end, the core philosophy behind Hickey’s design was rooted in creating “not just a place for teaching, but a place that teaches a path of learning defined by the teachings of the forest, a place to gather, rooted in the practice of oral knowledge transfer.”
To learn more about UVic’s new Indigenous Law wing, visit news.uvic.ca.
