The Blog

Follow along as we work towards systems change and help create better outcomes for kids in our community.

Family Fun Day/Two Year Anniversary

June 24, 2016

It’s officially been over 2 years of #wpgboldness and we’re so excited to celebrate with you!

We’re now journeying into our third year of research and development, and we feel very strongly that an important part of our work is looking back on our progress to take stock of what we’ve accomplished, and also to reflect on what we’ve learned through trial and error.

To celebrate our first two years, and share what we’ve learned along the way, we’ve decided to throw a big party with the help of Andrews Street Family Centre (ASFC)! We’ll be hosting a FREE Family Fun Day on June 29, 2016 at William Whyte School Yard  from 3:30 – 6:00 PM, featuring lots of fun activities like facepainting, a bouncy castle, kids activities, prizes, free food, and much more!

In addition to celebrating our two year anniversary, we will also be kicking off our first community contest at the Family Fun Day! We’ll be asking the community to contribute their ideas around the design of an online tool for connecting community with services and resources, so stay tuned for more information about how to submit your ideas and be entered to win some great prizes!

What: Family Fun Day

Where: William Whyte School Yard

When: June 29, 2016

Time: 3:30 – 6:00 PM

Land Acknowledgement

The Winnipeg Boldness Project resides in and works on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe), Anishinabewaki (Oji-Cree), Dené, Michif Piyii (Métis), Nêhiyawak (Cree), and Očhéthi Sakowin (Dakota). We recognize that we have benefited from and continue to benefit from colonization on the Treaty 1, Treaty 3, and Treaty 5 Territories.

It is important to also acknowledge how we benefit in this territory at the cost to Indigenous Peoples. Winnipeg has been drinking clean water for over a century via an aqueduct from Shoal Lake. In 1917, 3000 acres of Treaty 3 was declared property of the city of Winnipeg to build the aqueduct. This aqueduct was built over ancestral burial ground, to build these structures, the ancestors were disinterred and reburied. Construction of the aqueduct changed the waters significantly, causing the peninsula to become a man-made island. This now isolated Nation faced many challenges as a direct result from this aqueduct; Necessities like water, groceries, schools, and mail were only accessible via the dangerous trek to the mainland. Lives of adults and children were lost crossing to and from the mainland. Freedom Road, an all-weather road access finally opened summer 2019, over a century after displacement. This road, a testament to the success of Indigenous-led solutions, helps bring materials to build schools and a water treatment plant.

“I always think of it, even when I turn on the tap I’m like this comes from our community and this water probably contains our ancestors and the spirits of our ancestor. I think about the hardships of the people from Shoal Lake 40 who have gone through so many things for the benefit of Winnipeg’s drinking water,” says Angelina McLeod.1

Another benefit we reap in Winnipeg at a cost to Indigenous Peoples and land is the Hydro Electricity Development in Treaty 5. To optimize water movement for greatest power production the Province of Manitoba increased waterflow by creating the Churchill River Diversion in 1976. The modification of the waterflow caused flooding, shoreline erosion, and changes to water quality. This destruction of habitat has caused disruption to waterway travel, fishing, and hunting.

  1. https://www.aptnnews.ca/facetoface/spirits-of-our-ancestor-shoal-lake-40-is-rectifying-a-century-of-hardships/