ELL & FNMI - No Longer Use These Terms 

ELL and FNMI are acronyms that have been used in Ontario and appear in our Ministry documentation and School Boards. 

 They should be updated to today’s standards. 

“Recent racial justice speakers encourage us to avoid using acronyms and to make every effort to use the full phrase of the group we are identifying”. These short forms “take away from honouring the identity of the person or group.” 

“Typically, the people who use these acronyms are coming from a position of authority or power and are often not part of the perceived minority.” (Social Justice Speaker. 2021)

For this website the following changes to terminology will take place: 

FNMI: 

This will be changed to First Nations, Inuit, and Metis (or Indigenous) 

ELL / ELLs: 

These acronyms will be changed to English language learner/s. 

Aboriginal

The preferred term today is Indigenous 

ESL / ELD

The terms ESL and ELD: These refer to programs so these acronyms will still be used.

Also included under  the ESL Tab. 

Posted to this website July 2021.