Portage College President welcomed to Treaty 6 at unique Indigenous ceremony in Lac La Biche

Home » News » Portage College President welcomed to Treaty 6 at unique Indigenous ceremony in Lac La Biche
by Rob McKinley

A warm welcome from an extended family. That is what Dr. Stephen Price and his own family are feeling after a special Indigenous adoption ceremony held at Portage College on Thursday. Price, who became the new president and CEO of the northeastern Alberta post-secondary last November, was officially welcomed to the region with the traditional Indigenous gathering in front of a crowd of more than 200 people.

Group of diverse people posing together in a gymnasium, with a large video screen showing a man in glasses in the background.
Crowd of spectators at an event with a man in a light gray blazer centered among them; colorful performers are blurred in the foreground.

Grass dancers and Indigenous drumming led Price, his wife Susan, members of the Portage College executive and representatives of the Portage College Board of Governors into the gymnasium of the Lac La Biche campus to begin the unique ceremony. Students, staff, and invited dignitaries from the regional community, including Indigenous communities, were part of the welcome that featured a Pipe Ceremony, presentations, and a lunch feast.

The ceremony was also watched over by Roy Bear Chief, a Treaty 7 Elder from the Siksika Nation in southern Alberta where Price was first gifted his Indigenous name Ai Piss a pi (meaning Scout). Bear Chief, one of Price’s closest mentors, couldn’t make the ceremony in person but watched through a video link as Price was adopted into the Treaty 6 Territory by several Indigenous communities.

Dancer in bright, beadwork regalia and feather headdress performing a powwow-style dance in a gymnasium with seated spectators in the background.
Group of people seated as an audience; woman in a green blazer with a colorful beaded dress sits on the right.] , hmm
Group of casually dressed spectators in a gymnasium watch Native American dancers in colorful feather regalia performing in the foreground and background.

Saddle Lake Chief Dale Steinhauer was one of many who welcomed Price to the region, reminding him of the history and the continuing struggles of the Indigenous People of the region. She urged him to continue representing that history. Steinhauer also welcomed Price’s existing circle of family, friends, and colleagues to promote the same awareness.

“We invite you as an ally. Not only as an ally but we invite you also as an accomplice. You are in the trenches with us,” she said. “So, when I invite Dr. Stephen Price in as an ally, his circle also becomes an ally. You have responsibilities to the people you speak to – and it’s up to you to set the story straight for the Cree people.”

Well-wishes and welcomes were shared from First Nation and Métis representatives, colleagues in post-secondary education, along with municipal and provincial leaders.

Price was overwhelmed and honoured by the outpouring.

“This is very emotional for me, very powerful … Susan and I were so moved by the people and the words spoken,” he said following the traditional Pipe Ceremony that shared his arrival with the invited guests. “I am so excited to be in Treaty 6, and to be here in Lac La Biche and across the Portage College region. I’m so honoured and humbled by the words of the ceremonialists and the leaders that spoke today.”

Two men in business attire shake hands at an event, with smiling people in the background.
Man in a black outfit with a purple sash speaks into a microphone in a gym, while a large screen shows a close-up of an older man wearing glasses.
A man in a blazer stands among people while a Native American dancer in colorful regalia with a feather headdress stands to the right at an indoor event.
Audience seated in folding chairs in a gym for an event, banners with numbers hanging on the wall above the bleachers.

Dr. Stephen Price is the seventh president in the 59-year history of Portage College. Price was appointed to the position in November of 2025 following the resignation of previous President Nancy Broadbent. Price came to Portage after spending 25 years at Calgary’s Mount Royal University, the last eight years as the Dean of the Faculty of Health, Community and Education.

Portage College has campus locations in communities across northeastern Alberta, including Lac La Biche, Cold Lake, St. Paul, Boyle, Whitefish Lake, Frog Lake, and Saddle Lake Cree Nations. Portage Colleges offers in-person and online program options ranging from micro-credentials to diploma and Bachelor’s degree programs.

For more information about Portage College, visit the website at www.portagecollege.ca