The Blog

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

Meet our new Communications Manager- Sheyanne Bruyere

September 15, 2020

 

  1. I’ve experienced an earthquake
  2. I’ve been in a hot-air balloon
  3. I’ve been stung by a jellyfish

 

Before I let you know which statement is the lie, here’s a bit of background info about myself to further build on the anticipation that I know is building.

 

Winnipeg has always been my home and I grew up in the South end of the city with my mom, dad and older sister. I’m half Ukrainian (my mom is from the Gilbert Plains/Dauphin area) and half Indigenous (my dad is from Sagkeeng First Nation). Although I am not a religious person, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself feeling more connected to my Indigenous side.

 

My professional, general-life and student experiences has begun to open me up to a culture that I didn’t know much about growing up. I’ve become more aware that there is not one single way to interpret the world and all that encompasses it, and I like that. I have a greater appreciation for nature and its surroundings, and am starting to better understand Indigenous history, which has really captured my attention in wanting to continue learning the good, the bad, and the ugly that has shaped it.

 

Travelling has further exposed me to different lifestyles and communities around the world. While in my late teens, I spent three months backpacking around Australia, and in my mid-twenties, I spent two months in South East Asia. These were both very eye-opening opportunities that I am thankful to have been able to experience.

 

Attending university and college has also had a significant impact on my life. I attended the University of Winnipeg and Red River College, graduating in 2019 with a diploma in Creative Communications and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. Prior to my post-secondary experience, and during the beginning stages of my university life, I was an incredibly shy person. Once in college, I felt like I was completely pulled out of my shell and started becoming more comfortable with myself and my abilities/skillsets. It was insane. A total life-shift happened for me and it was amazing.

 

Reading, DIY décor projects and hanging out with family and friends are a just few activities that I like to indulge in, in my spare time. To me, a combination of socializing, relaxing with a good book, and getting crafty with some hands-on work, make me happy. Oh yeah, and pizza. Pizza also makes me happy.

 

Okay, now back to the ice-breaker game Two Truths and a Lie. Out of the three statements above, the lie is…I’ve been stung by a jellyfish! Thankfully this hasn’t happened to me. I’m actually quite scared of fish and sea creatures.

 

To elaborate on the two truths, while in Mexico for a wedding, there was an earthquake and it was one of the scariest experiences of my life. I was alone in my hotel room when all of a sudden there was a loud bang, almost like some kind of explosion, and then the hotel started to shake! Fortunately, no one at the hotel or in the city had been hurt and no severe damage was done.

 

For my 21st birthday, I was fortunate to be gifted a ride in a hot-air balloon. It was incredible and a group of us floated over Winnipeg on a warm summer evening. Although the wicker basket in which we were all standing in sounded a little rickety with its crunching sound as you shifted your feet, the ride provided a breathtaking view of the city.

 

Hopefully you were able to virtually get to know me a little more, as I am one of the new faces here at Boldness. I am very much looking forward to learning more about the community, our partners, and the work we do!

 

Talk to you all again soon,

 

Sheyanne Bruyere

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/