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Message NEWSLETTERDECEMBER 2024UPCOMINGEVENTSVOLUNTEER LEO DELOYDE GETSAWARDVOLUNTEER LEO DELOYDE GETSAWARDWINTERMARKETANOTHERSUCCESS!WINTERMARKETANOTHERSUCCESS!INUIT PEOPLES DAY CELEBRATION @THE NBIFCMEET OUR NEWBOARD MEMBER!MEET OUR NEWBOARD MEMBER!NORTH BAY INDIGENOUSFRIENDSHIP CENTRE
President’s MessageUpcoming EventsNBIFC’s New Board MemberMembership DinnerInspired by WellbrietyIt’s a Wrap!Services with AHOWYouth Christmas PartyNBIFC Job PostingsNBIFC Santa Claus Parade Float Wins!Future of Access to JusticeSeven Stones Learning CentreAdventures at the LandOur Unsung HeroNew Store to access for Jordan’s Principle National Inuit Day a SuccessStaff Directory3,456789, 1011121314151617181920, 2122TABLE OF CONTENTS DECEMBER 2024
Aanii/Boozhoo/Waciye/Halu/Greetings to members of the North BayIndigenous Friendship Centre community!Travelling to other parts of the province, as I’ve been doing a lot in the pastmonth, always helps me appreciate how much it means to live on the shore ofLake Nipissing.Presidents MessageSpending hours every day in traffic gridlock – and road congestion is constantly creeping further outfrom downtown Toronto – I’m sure it can’t help but contribute to the enormous levels of stress thatmany people down south are dealing with every single day. Members of Utah’s National Hockey Leagueteam had to abandon their bus in downtown traffic and walk to the arena for the Nov. 24th game againstthe Maple Leafs!There are other kinds of roadblocks more evident in southern Ontario than we usually see up here on the46th Parallel. These barriers are of an educational nature and reflect the extent to which many of theprovince’s students, teachers, and school administrators lack awareness about Indigenous issues.In this era of Reconciliation, every province and territory in Canada has publicly committed to ensuringthat their schools will prioritize learning about the historic and contemporary presence of Indigenouspeoples.But as I visit school boards in places like Kingston, Picton, Mississauga, and Brampton, it is startling tosee how great these gaps continue to be.The main reason seems to be that most people tasked with educating young people did not experiencelearning about Indigenous topics when they went to school. When I asked 50 teachers participating inone PD (professional development) session how many of them had experienced any learning aboutIndigenous peoples in their elementary, secondary, and/or post-secondary schooling, not one raisedtheir hand.One of my hosts revealed that she received her Masters Degree in Canadian History in 1996 without everknowing that Indian Residential Schools even existed-- and there were still some in operation at thattime!
Presidents Message- cont’dOnly students enrolled in the past 20 years have any significant idea about the achievements andcontributions that First Peoples have made. If it weren’t for 10,000 Indigenous warriors defending theselands against American invaders in the War of 1812 there might not even be a Canada-- we’d be part of theUnited States. Maybe our province would be called Trumptario!Yes, every Canadian should know about the residential school genocide and treaty promise betrayals. Butthey also need to know that there are Indigenous doctors and lawyers, as well as Indian Chiefs. (A fewyears ago one Dokis First Nation family included women who held all three of those jobs!)There have been two Native American astronauts.One school board I visited counts only 400 self-identified Indigenous students in a board-wide populationof 73,000.Northern Ontario students are more likely to be aware of these things, perhaps because First Nations,Inuit, and Metis people comprise greater population percentages up here and educators understand howmeaningful these subjects are to so many of their students. NBIFC board member Amanda Mathias, aTemagami First Nation citizen, won a human rights award for her work in advancing Indigenous learning forthe Near North District School Board. North Bay has over 7,000 Indigenous residents who contribute $260 million to this city’s economy. I’vespoken to people who’ve lived here all their lives and don’t know that one of the city’s most successfulbusinesses – Twigg’s – is owned by a Nipissing First Nation woman.Friendship Centres play an important role in educating Canadians about Indigenous histories, cultures,and contemporary contributions. The wonderful NBIFC monthly newsletter is a good “textbook” to helpNorth Bay residents understand how much our peoples do to make North Bay a successful community.Our involvement in events like National Indigenous Peoples Day, the National Day for Truth andReconciliation, and, most recently, our centre’s first Inuit Day, which was organized by NBIFC eventsplanner Traci Koritsaris --our centre’s first Inuit staff member – help local residents learn more about thepeople who have been here for thousands of years.As we enter the calendar year-end season, our community feasts, craft fairs, and even Christmas projectscan all play a role in helping North Bay residents understand how lucky they are to have Indigenous peopleas neighbours.May you all have a wonderful holiday season!Maurice Switzer
December 3rd, 10th and 17thDrumming 6 pm-8 pm - with Nodin - Families are welcome to attend together-children must besupervised by an adult.Beading 5 pm to 8 pm - with Kim- New participants, please register at daw@nbifc.orgDecember 11th Membership Holiday Dinner Doors open @ 4:30 pm December 15thFull Moon Ceremony @Big Medicine Studio 6:30 pmDecember 15thYouth Christmas Party - Registration Required- see posterDecmber 20th - January 6th - NBIFC CLOSED for HolidaysDecember 3rd, 10th and 17thDrumming 6 pm-8 pm - with Nodin - Families are welcome to attend together-children must besupervised by an adult.Beading 5 pm to 8 pm - with Kim- New participants, please register at daw@nbifc.orgDecember 11th Membership Holiday Dinner Doors open @ 4:30 pm December 15thFull Moon Ceremony @Big Medicine Studio 6:30 pmDecember 15thYouth Christmas Party - Registration Required- see posterDecmber 20th - January 6th - NBIFC CLOSED for HolidaysUPCOMING EVENTS PAGEUPCOMING EVENTS PAGE
As an Indigenous woman, Vanessa has personally experiencedabuse, neglect, racism and poverty. Vanessa has made it hermission to create awareness about Missing and MurderedIndigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) through artand voice. Vanessa is also an ethical artist and is passionate aboutsharing her work through her business, Resilient Inuk Creations.Vanessa is registered as a proud Inuk with Nunavut TunngavikIncorporated (NTI). Her maternal family is from Sanikiluaq,Nunavut which is named after her great-great grandfather.Vanessa has experienced gender-based violence since the youngage of 2 months old. She has attended intense therapy to be ableto fight back against her perpetrators and seek justice and change.Vanessa shares her story, as well as her sister Pamela’s story, onher verified TikTok account, “Resilient Inuk,” where she has over152,000 followers, and on Instagram, where she has over 98,000followers. Vanessa is currently working on writing her first book“Becoming Resilient Inuk” and in the planning stages of adocumentary.Vanessa has had many speaking opportunities such as with theGovernor General, Her Excellency Mary Simon, Senate for Bill C-11, Buffer Festival, schools, hospitals and many First Nationcommunities. You can also find Vanessa on the Pow Wow trail as acraft vendor every summer - especially the NBIFC Pow Wow.Vanessa loves to give back to her community and is our newestboard member with the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre. Welcome to the NBIFC Family, Vanessa!New Board MemberVanessa Brosseau
In 2021, my entire life hit a brick wall. I was drugging and drinking since my teens to numb myself.Now, knee-deep in my 30's, I am tired of the self-induced suffering. I do not want to die like this, notanymore. I started my mission to eliminate as many harmful substances as I could from my life. It isa process I battle with now, and I always will to some degree. This painting is an expression of my efforts and the resources at the IFC. Until recently, my mindand spirit have been held underwater. Like the sandhill crane peering up at the night sky, I amfinally able to see hope in my dark mire. By taking the seven grandfather teachings seriously, I builda healthy mental framework. The seven moons in the painting are symbolic of these newerdiscoveries. They are distant golden promises that I will be happy someday. The colour palette islively, like my renewed ambitions and budding hope for a future. The Wellbriety model should be the industry standard for interventions and recovery. AA styleprograms strip you of the substances but rarely give you alternative means of empowerment orgrowth. Exchanging a substance addiction for a spiritual addiction is counterproductive. Wellbrietyis teaching me to actually do something about my situation. Spiritual and social pragmatism issomething society needs. I want more people to realize how much we can glean from the wisdom ofother cultures and practices. Wellbriety Inspires HealingJay Jay, inspired by their new path, has been painting,and presented this painting to Nodin, our Healingand Wellness Worker.
The NBIFC 2024 Indigenous Winter Market November23rd and 24th, was an unprecedented success, and wecouldn’t have done it without the support and drive of somany people. The parking lot of the Elks Club was oftenfull, and folks even had to park on the street to get in!About 1000 people came through the event at one pointor another, and the shoppers were so thrilled with thegreat variety of items that were for sale. Chi-Miigwetch to Creative Industries for providingfunding to help with the the location, our advertising andmaking it the wonderful event that it was. CreativeIndustries has been supporting a number of initiatives tosupport local artists and organizations. Be sure to checkout their website. The NBIFC staff did an incredible job of making somedelicious food that was, for many of the attendees, thefirst time they’d ever tried wild rice salad or IndigenousTacos. One person said that the tacos were ‘life-changingand the most delicious thing ever.’ Good fry bread hasthat effect on people, as we know. Vendors did well by all reports, and the traffic flow in thebuilding was great. Chi Miigwetch to everyone who attended, vended, and allthe great donors to the Giving Tree! The NBIFC 2024 Indigenous Winter Market November23rd and 24th, was an unprecedented success, and wecouldn’t have done it without the support and drive of somany people. The parking lot of the Elks Club was oftenfull, and folks even had to park on the street to get in!About 1000 people came through the event at one pointor another, and the shoppers were so thrilled with thegreat variety of items that were for sale. Chi-Miigwetch to Creative Industries for providingfunding to help with the the location, our advertising andmaking it the wonderful event that it was. CreativeIndustries has been supporting a number of initiatives tosupport local artists and organizations. Be sure to checkout their website. The NBIFC staff did an incredible job of making somedelicious food that was, for many of the attendees, thefirst time they’d ever tried wild rice salad or IndigenousTacos. One person said that the tacos were ‘life-changingand the most delicious thing ever.’ Good fry bread hasthat effect on people, as we know. Vendors did well by all reports, and the traffic flow in thebuilding was great. Chi Miigwetch to everyone who attended, vended, and allthe great donors to the Giving Tree! That’s a Wrap!Market for the Gift Giving Season a greatsuccess
The NBIFC Indigenous Market is the largest IndigenousFocused Market of the season in Northern Ontario,providing space for our peoples incredible creativityto shine.
We AreHIRINGTo find out more, check out our website! www.nbifc.orgTo find out more, check out our website! www.nbifc.orgjoin us !Job Opportunities Available:Waaban WorkerHealthy Babies Healthy Children WorkerChildren’s Wellness WorkerIndigenous Prenatal Nutrition/Family Support AssistantCommunications AssistantSuswin Village Transitional House (SVTH) Night Client CareWorker (part-time)Human Resources Assistant980 Cassells St. North Bay,ON P1B 4A8hrc@nbifc.org (705)472-2811 ext 228
NBIFC Parade Float Wins First Place!Staff, youth and volunteers worked together to come up with one of ourbest parade floats ever! The theme this year was Country Christmas, andour float delivered. The NBIFC float received first place in the Not-For-Profit category, second place going to Outloud
Representatives from the Change Agency, Indigenous People Resilient Fund and the LawSociety of Upper Canada held a series of community engagement sessions in Thunder Bay,Timmins and North Bay. The data collected at the engagement sessions will be a valuableinsight on how legal and funding programs can better serve our community and organization. The Ministry of Attorney General’s Office, Law Society of Upper Canada and IndigenousPeople Resilient Fund’s goal is to build resilience and empowerment in legal matters forIndigenous communities in Northern Ontario, and to ensure that support aligns withIndigenous values and practices with the creation of a $1Million funding bundle dedicated tomeeting Indigenous community justice needs.On November 8, 2024, The Future of Access To Justice engagement session was held at theNorth Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre. 43 participants shared their insights and experienceswith support programs for individuals involved in the judicial system within the city of NorthBay. During the engagement session community members shared challenges experienced whenseeking programming and community partners shared barriers experienced when applying forfunding for participants. Other topics discussed were land-based cultural programs,Indigenous victim services, youth transition housing, reintegration programs, transportationand child care for when Individuals are at court or in court mandated programming. Theresults from the sessions are invaluable in helping funders understand and address the legalneeds of our Indigenous people living in our community. Results from the engagement session will be shared with NBIFC in the new year, stay tuned.Miigwetch to all the participants who attended in person and / or the online session; your timeand input is very much appreciated. Future of Access to JusticeEngagement Sesssion
Can you believe the end of the year is already here? The students at SevenStones have continued to work diligently on their hide mitts to make sure theirhands are warm when the cold temperatures hit us. We had the pleasure ofWasa-Nabin come to share knowledge and teach the students the brick stitchtechnique in creating beaded art. We split up the school day on National Inuit Day to attend the celebration eventwhere we all enjoyed the throat singers, tasted the jams, and listened to storiesthat elders and people from Labrador and Nunavut came to share their lifeexperiences and stories. The students are focusing on habit trackers to promote self-care, and aretracking their time spent on their personal devices for screen time, in which theperson with the lowest screen time at the end of the month wins a prize! We prepared for an overnight stay on the land, in which the young women inour class attended a full moon ceremony; we all had language activities andcollected medicines, as well as enjoyed a traditional meal by the fire. Students also took part in creating crafts that included wood-burning birchcookie tree decorations that were sold during the Indigenous Winter Market; allproceeds were donated to the Giving Tree at the NBIFC - we raised $601.00! A day spent at the NBIFC land where the students enjoyed learning aboutLabrador Tea and its health benefits, as well as learned about fire making andwhat is needed to collect in the woods to be successful at building a fire and firesafety. The next traditional craft the students will be taking part in is making featherholders and smudging feathers to add to their bundles, and learning about howto take care of their bundles. We are looking forward to the fun Christmas activities and events that areplanned coming up in December. We would also like to wish everyone a MerryChristmas and a Happy and Safe New Year and look forward to seeing everyonein 2025!!If you wish to register with Seven Stones to complete your OSSD, be sure toemail or call to make an appointment. 1009 Cassells St 705-707-1031 iassec@nbifc.org1009 Cassells St 705-707-1031 iassec@nbifc.org
Life Long Care and Suswin Enjoy a Day at the LandLife Long Care and Suswin Enjoy a Day at the LandIt’s always a great time whenwe gather on the land, andthe 28th was no exception forthe Life Long Care and SuswinVillage gang. Spending theday together, cozied up to thefire, cooking, laughing, eatingtraditional foods like mooseand fish, and of courseBernice’s legendary fry bread,and beans made by one of theclients, all washed down byenjoying delicious Labradortea. It’s always a great time whenwe gather on the land, andthe 28th was no exception forthe Life Long Care and SuswinVillage gang. Spending theday together, cozied up to thefire, cooking, laughing, eatingtraditional foods like mooseand fish, and of courseBernice’s legendary fry bread,and beans made by one of theclients, all washed down byenjoying delicious Labradortea.
Leo Deloyde, an invaluable volunteer with the North BayIndigenous Friendship Centre, was nominated andrecognized as one of five of our community’s UnsungHeroes. Over the past five years, Leo has dedicated countlesshours of his time and experience as an urban planningprofessional, playing a key role in the concept,development and project management of our SuswinVillage Transitional House, North Bay’s first majorresponse to the homelessness crisis.The Rotary Club of North Bay’s 2024 Unsung Hero Service Award Awarded to our very own Leo DeLoyde!Leo was also involved with theconstruction of "Miskwaadesi" (Ojibwe forPainted Turtle), a unique space on theChippewa Creek EcoPath. A beautifulspace where Indigenous and non-Indigenous people can gather, honouringthe traditions, culture and teachings ofour Indigenous community whiledeveloping an appreciation of thesignificance of water to us all. Leo nowdedicates countless hours of his time tohelping the NBIFC develop the land out onRiding Stable Road for further culturalexperiences and uses.Chi-miigwetch Leo, from all of us here at the North BayIndigenous Friendship Centre. Your friendship, supportand knowledge have helped us accomplish so much!The other Unsung Heroes recognized were; Mark andLeslie Lyons’ contributions to One Kid’s Place, PeggyMorrison’s Open Arms Café and Bryan Eade(posthumously) from the Warming Centre.
As the holiday season rushes in, we kindly remind you to embracekindness and patience—not just for those around you but for yourself aswell. For many, this time of year is joyful and bustling, but for others, it canbring challenges. Let’s all do our part to spread a little extra warmth andunderstanding.From all of us at the NBIFC, we wish you a peaceful, joyous, and trulywonderful holiday season. Please note that we will be closed fromDecember 20th at noon and will reopen on January 6th, 2025.Exciting plans are already underway for winter activities and events! Besure to stay connected through our newsletters, social media and yourprogram workers—we can’t wait to share what’s coming up!As the holiday season rushes in, we kindly remind you to embracekindness and patience—not just for those around you but for yourself aswell. For many, this time of year is joyful and bustling, but for others, it canbring challenges. Let’s all do our part to spread a little extra warmth andunderstanding.From all of us at the NBIFC, we wish you a peaceful, joyous, and trulywonderful holiday season. Please note that we will be closed fromDecember 20th at noon and will reopen on January 6th, 2025.Exciting plans are already underway for winter activities and events! Besure to stay connected through our newsletters, social media and yourprogram workers—we can’t wait to share what’s coming up!Exciting news for families receiving support through Jordan’s Principle! The Giant Tiger storeon Lakeshore Drive is now set up to accept Jordan’s Principle funding.Here’s what you need to do:Contact Giant Tiger directly and provide your approval letter.If eligible, forward your approval to mgrstore195@gianttiger.com, and they will set up anaccount to make shopping easier for your family.Store owner/manager Sean kindly asks for your patience as they fine-tune this new process.Please note: This service is available only at the Lakeshore Drive location.New Store to Access for Jordan’s PrincipalFamilies!278 Lakeshore Dr, North Bay, ON P1A 2C2From the Staff of the North BayIndigenous Friendship CentreFrom the Staff of the North BayIndigenous Friendship Centre
On November 7, 2024, the NBIFC proudly hostedNational Inuit Day (also known as InternationalCircumpolar Inuit Day) for the first time since itsinception by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in2006. With over 125 guests in attendance, theevent was a tremendous success.Inuit throat singers Nina Segalowitz and SierraSegalowitz-Clabaux traveled from Montreal tocaptivate the audience with their mesmerizingperformances. Throughout the event and the special dinner(complete with cake!), Inuit speakers shared theirhistory and stories, offering rich insights into Inuitculture.We extend heartfelt thanks to our presenters:Serena Besserer, Marion Blake, VanessaBrousseau, and, of course, throat singers Nina andSierra.We look forward to hosting next year’sInternational Inuit Day and continuing to celebratethis incredible tradition for years to come.National Inuit Day CelebrationA first at the NBIFC
International Inuit Day- continued