Red River College Polytechnic

History

The College’s origins are traced back to the Industrial Vocational Training School which opened on October 9, 1938, with a handful of courses and 450 students. It was established to provide vocational training to unskilled and unemployed youth during the Great Depression.

In 1942, the school moved to a larger facility in a former Ford Motor Company assembly plant to accommodate its growing enrollment, especially as it began offering technical training to servicemen during World War II. In 1948, it changed its name becoming the Manitoba Technical Institute.

In 1963, the Notre Dame campus was built and the college name was changed to the Manitoba Institute of Technology (MIT). Half the campus was an arts and science complex, operating under the separate name Manitoba Institute of Applied Arts (MIAA). The two halves consolidated to a single name: Red River Community College (RRCC) in 1969. In 1998, it was renamed to "Red River College of Applied Arts, Science, and Technology", or Red River College.

In 2004, the Princess Street Campus was built in Downtown Winnipeg, with a large focus on multimedia design, computer technology, and the popular Creative Communications program, which prepares students for careers in advertising, journalism, media production, and public relations.

In 2011, the Princess Street Campus was renamed to the Roblin Centre in honour of former Manitoba Premier Duff Roblin. The Roblin Centre, together with the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute is now known as the Exchange District Campus.

On July 4, 2012, the college discontinued over the air broadcasting of student radio station 92.9 Kick FM after nearly 10 years of broadcasting, due to a campus radio policy change by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

In 2021, the school rebranded from Red River College to Red River College Polytechnic, in line with plans to modernize apprenticeships and expand into applied research and hands-on learning. That same year the Exchange District Campus was expanded with the completion of the Manitou a bi Bii daziigae innovation centre.

Campuses

Campus locations

Notre Dame Campus, Winnipeg

Exchange District Campus, Winnipeg

Stevenson Campus Winnipeg, Winnipeg

Stevenson Campus Southport, Southport

Interlake Campus, Selkirk

Peguis-Fisher River Campus, Peguis

Portage Campus, Portage la Prairie

Steinbach Campus, Steinbach

Winkler Campus, Winkler

Language Training Centre, Winnipeg

Notre Dame Campus

Located near the intersection of Notre Dame Avenue and King Edward Street (Route 90), the Notre Dame Campus features fitness facilities with cardio, weight equipment, shower facilities, cardio and yoga classes, playing fields and running paths. The campus also has a Print Shoppe, library and student parking lots as well as cafeterias.

The RRC Polytech Students' Association (RRCSA) operates a convenience store at the Notre Dame Campus called "The Ox".

Exchange District Campus

Located at 160 Princess Street in Winnipeg's Exchange District, the Roblin Centre (formerly known as the Princess Street Campus) is home to approximately 200 staff and 2,000 students. The Centre has a focus on modern media, information technology, and business.

The 220,000-square-foot (20,000 m2) building features the original façades along Princess Street, and incorporates modern green building technology. The Roblin Centre's construction merged five prominent heritage buildings on Princess Street as well as a 1905 warehouse on William Avenue. The merging of these buildings incorporates a former lane into the current Atrium. Many of the architectural features of the original buildings, such as wood columns, floors, brickwork, millwork, and windows were restored and incorporated into the new structure.

The Roblin Centre has a building energy management system and is the largest C-2000*

building in Canada. The Centre was completed before the advent of LEED Certification in Canada, but the environmental performance of this project would put it at the level of LEED Gold or Platinum. The Centre was the largest Canadian project to date involving extensive material re-use, and incorporates a 34 kW building-integrated photovoltaic system which was the largest of its kind at the time of installation.

The Roblin Centre features fitness facilities, Campus Store, a library and a full-service Tim Hortons.

Similar to "The Ox" at the Notre Dame Campus, the RRCSA operated a convenience store at the Roblin Centre called "The Mercantile". The store closed in 2019 and was not re-opened the following year on account of the COVID-19 pandemic and as of Oct 2022, had not re-opened.

The Paterson GlobalFoods Institute is the home of the Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism Management and Professional Baking and Patisserie programs. Located in the Exchange District, the Institute was completed in January 2013.

In May 2009, the Government of Canada pledged the college with $9.5-million of funding to help reconstruct the Union Bank Building at the corner of Main Street and William Avenue in downtown Winnipeg. The Manitoba government also announced it would contribute $5-million for the construction of the building.

Scholarships & bursaries

The Government of Canada sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists over 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation.

RRC Polytech scholarships for Aboriginal, First Nations and Métis students include:

Manitoba Hydro Electrical Technology Scholarship

Hannah (Nancy) Boon Bursary

"Our Children, Our Ways" Distance Education Award

West Region Child and Family Services Residential Care Unit Award

Project Neecheewan Award

Technical Communication Faculty Scholarship

Pitblado LLP Legal Administrative Assistant Awards

Employment Equity Education Awards

Student life

Athletics

Until 2022, RRC Polytech's Rebels Athletics had the following groups:

Men's Volleyball

Men's Basketball

Men's Soccer

Men's Futsal

Women's Volleyball

Women's Basketball

Women's Soccer

Women's Futsal

The men's and women's volleyball, basketball and soccer teams competed in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC).

The school announced January 13, 2022, that it would be eliminating the Rebels athletic program. The varsity sports teams at RRC Polytech competed for over 50 years prior to being cut.

Newspaper

The official newspaper of RRC Polytech is "The Projector", which is published by the RRC Polytech Students’ Association every second Monday. The Projector has been the official RRC Polytech student newspaper since 1967.

Restaurants

Until December 2012, Red River College students operated "Prairie Lights", a fine dining restaurant at the Notre Dame Campus. The restaurant featured full service lunch and dinner menus from September to November and March to May. The evening program featured flambé service and was licensed for alcohol service. The restaurant provided practical experience to the students of the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management programs, and also functioned as a catering room for the Food Services Department for private functions. The restaurant was open to the public. In December 2012, the restaurant closed, with plans to move the program to Jane's, a fine dining restaurant at the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute.

The restaurants in the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute opened to the public in early 2013. The Culinary Exchange café opened on 15 January 2013, and Jane's opened 21 February 2013.

Radio station

Students in RRC Polytech's Creative Communications program run an online radio station known as "Red River Radio". The radio station is an opportunity for students to host, program and produce both music and news/talk format radio, and features music and talk shows, as well as news, sports, and weather.

Launched on August 24, 2012, the online radio station replaces the over-the-air local radio station formerly run by the College, 92.9 Kick FM. The online station follows similar format to the discontinued broadcast station, with 24-hour programming and a focus on local indie rock and folk bands.

Directions conference

RRC Polytech operates a yearly Business and Applied Arts conference called "Directions". The conference promotes networking between current students and potential employers, and promotes career areas such as Business Administration, Indigenous Education, Continuing Education as well as Hospitality and Tourism.

Notable alumni

Janet Arnott, curler (Business Administration)

Randy Bachman, guitarist (Business Administration) - did not graduate

David Bergen, novelist (Creative Communications)

Rod Black, sports commentator for CTV Sports and TSN (Creative Communications)

Myrna Driedger, politician (Nursing)

Krista Erickson, journalist (Creative Communications)

Dawna Friesen, journalist (Creative Communications)

Pablo Hidalgo, author and creative executive for Lucasfilm (Creative Communications)

Chris Jericho, professional wrestler (Creative Communications)

Andrea Slobodian, journalist (Creative Communications)

Lloyd Longfield, politician (Mechanical Engineering)

Holly Nelson, politician (Creative Communications)

Sheila North, journalist (Creative Communications)

Ed Mandrake, politician (Automotive Technician)

John Plohman, politician (Applied Arts)

Peter Sawatzky, sculptor (Commercial Art)

Bernadette Smith, politician (Child and Youth Care)