Follow along as we work towards systems change and help create better outcomes for kids in our community.
April 13, 2022
Authentic streetwear made by Indigenous artists run as a social enterprise. The Start “I knew I needed a business when I got out of jail, I still needed to sell something. That’s how I’ve been surviving all these years. I stopped hanging out with the homies, went inside my cell and just literally studied.” Sean […]
READ MOREJuly 29, 2021
Fifteen inner-city families and organizations were the recipients of refurbished desktop computers from the Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre. Before the pandemic, the Centre – located at the Helen Betty Osborne Building – opened its computer lab (with 17 computer stations) five days a week to provide free internet access and technology support to […]
READ MOREJanuary 11, 2021
For someone that has been with The Winnipeg Boldness Project (Boldness) as long as she has, it’s way overdue that we highlight Lisa Wlasichuk, our Research Coordinator. Not everyone can say they did a field placement for their masters in Finland, but Lisa can! Let’s back up a little bit though. Originally […]
READ MORENovember 30, 2020
Back in June, we highlighted the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) through a blog post about a new initiative that was sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Mask Project. To date, the RWB has donated approx. 2,900 masks to organizations and partners in Winnipeg’s North End community. For many, this project has provided a […]
READ MORENovember 10, 2020
Gwekaanimad means “the wind changes direction” in Anishinaabe. In addition, it’s a partnership of organizations with two different initiatives that support families in Winnipeg’s North End community; Granny’s House and Community Helpers Initiative. Gwekaanimad’s five partners are working toward the same goal, keeping families together. The partnership includes Blue Thunderbird Family Care, Andrews Street […]
READ MORELand 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.
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