On Thursday June 29, our Annual Breakfast was a huge success with 120 attendees in the Flora McCrea Hall at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church. As usual our faithful Batchawana Bay friends Iolene and Olaf Bjornaa donated and cooked fresh pickerel and trout for everyone.
Tribal Vision Mohawk grass and shawl dancers Derek and Naomi Martin entertained us. Longtime Ojibwa elder and Frontiers Board member Shelley Charles led us in both Ojibwa and English prayer with song. Rev. Dr.Andrew Sterling delivered Grace, and Rev. Charles Catto introduced Guest of Honour and Speaker Frontiers President Lawrence Gladue, C.M.
Lawrence reminded the audience of the great start made in 1974 by Liberal Housing Minster Hon. Ron Basford in addressing the Aboriginal housing crisis. Having lost his own mother and sister in a Metis shack fire, Lawrence survived to play a key role in developing CMHC’s Rural and Native Housing program completing over 100,000 new homes until axed by the Mulroney Government in the mid-nineties, resulting in a return to Attawapiskat conditions nationwide.
On the bright side Lawrence reported our successful Standing Tree to Standing Home activity in Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, our expanding educational profile in NWT and the exciting funded plans for Project Amik II and III in Toronto under our New Frontiers Aboriginal Residential Corporation surrogate Board. Lawrence thanked everyone present for their faithful support which-given governance austerity-will be needed more than ever.
On behalf of Frontiers Foundation/Operation Beaver, Executive Director Marco A. Guzman extended the Operation Beaver volunteer of the year award to Paul van der Werff from New Zealand.
Before Shelley’s closing prayer Shahi Cuffy sang a thrilling rendition of “His Eye is on the Sparrow”.