PWRDF Approved Responsive Grants to date
The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM), Truro, NS
Home to Mi’kma’ki: the Conservation Assessment Phase
August 2022 to March 2023 | Budget: $15,000
The Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre (MDCC) project is a charitable, not-for-profit First Nation organization, owned and mandated by the thirteen Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs. The project is administered through The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM), a First Nation tribal council. MDCC is strategically working to bringing a large and very special Mi’kmaw collection home to Mi’kma’ki in Nova Scotia. The project seeks to return Mi’kmaw collections housed at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) at the Smithsonian Institution in DC. Through social media and supported by some new technologies, MDCC will be working with knowledge holders and experts to expand their understandings about, and relationships to, these important collections. The vision for the MDCC was well stated by the Mi’kmaw Chiefs of Nova Scotia in their Resolution signed in June 2016: “The MDCC is projected to attract more than 50,000 visitors a year, including more than 5,000 students of all ages; create more than 16 full time positions; serve the Mi’kmaw Nation as a repository for their own cultural materials; safeguard digital versions of their oral histories, knowledge and language; create significant economic impacts for the Nation as well for the Province of Nova Scotia and for Canada; strengthen and expand Mi’kmaw Tourism and heritage sectors; and most importantly, facilitate and support the process of reconciliation that is key to a share future.”
The project activities include:
- Access the condition of collections: work include all potential objects to be assessed, and conservation assessment forms to be completed.
- Train two Mi’kmaw individuals, including performance assessments due bi-monthly as agreed by the NMAI and the MDCC; the 2 trainees are Mi’kmaq university graduates in anthropology and archeology.
- Complete a final conservation assessment report including a comprehensive assessment report including object records and recommendations for the loan request to the NMAI to be completed.
The NMAI has a central role in this project, they have numerous staff who are part of the project, including supervising the overall conservation and the conservation training. The Nova Scotia Museum has provided the initial training. The partners on this project include MDCC’s parent organization, the CMM, the NMAI, the Nova Scotia Museum, and the Canadian Conservation Institute as well as their funding partners, including the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage. Along with partnering organizations and government departments are their own communities and community experts who are guiding the work as it progresses. In March 2023, the partners informed their project went extremely well. The work that has been undertaken in collaboration with the NMAI has been completed. The two hired Mi’kmaw trainees had a life changing time and CMM have progressed their ability to bring the collection home significantly with the completion of the assessment. In October 2023, the project will be shared at ATALM (Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums) Conference in Oklahoma USA, the session will be led by the NMAI.
Anamiewigummig Kenora Fellowship Centre, Kenora, ON
Ambe, Strengthening Our Circle
February to May 2023 | Budget: $15,000
Anamiewigummig Kenora Fellowship Centre is an Indigenous Ministry serving in the Traditional Territory of treaty 3 since 1960s. They are governed by a predominantly Indigenous Board of Directors. They also have a 90% Indigenous staff and Indigenous Executive Director, 85% of the peoples they serve are Indigenous. Currently, the project applicant offers a 24/7 operation helping to meet basic needs for those facing many different vulnerabilities often seen as mental health and addiction. Often, community members served by the Centre are deep rooted from intergenerational trauma because of the residential school system. The Centre acknowledges the impacts of colonization resulting in the 60 scoop, Day Schools, child welfare, the justice system, and murdered and missing indigenous women, girls, and boys and LGBTQS2. They witness the devastating impacts on the people who have been directly affected by all these government rooted failures that have caused life altering situations for many of them. Some of the served community members have endured loss and grief and faced or suffered suicidal attempts and suicides. The Centre provides healthy grieving practices and healing opportunities and serves all ages but mostly those between the ages of 18-35.
The Centre pointed out that many families face separation from their children due the welfare system. They are concerned that this unfortunate fact decreases opportunities to the young generation to be closed to their families and aware of their cultures, including their Indigenous languages. Furthermore, the community is facing a HIV and opioid overdose crisis, which prompt the Centre to consider community safety is a major issue and focus on how many lives can be saved. These social issues were aggravated during the COVID-19 years. A few of the Centre’s operational Community Health priorities are suicide and addictions prevention, mental health promotion, and engaging traditional caregivers. They believe that developing, strengthening, and promoting awareness and supports to individuals who face extreme hardships will benefit greatly from the project. Some of the project activities are focussed on land based, Indigenous language, mental health, and wellness. Also, Elders share firekeeper teachings, sacred ceremonies, and cultural protocols. Invitations are given to local expertise and resources to attend the Centre for information sharing sessions, prevention, testing, and follow up care sessions about suicides, and opioid consumption/addictions.
Interfaith Council on Hydropower (CH)
Kohkoms’ Healing Gathering , Winnipeg, MB
February 2023 | Budget: $15,000
The Interfaith Council on Hydropower (ICH) has been involved in policy analysis and public engagement on hydropower issues since mid-1970s. They work to be in relationship with and carry forward the stories of hydro-impacted people and communities. Hydro development has been the cause of significant loss to land, water and livelihoods, causing massive destruction and desolation to everyone and everything that lives in the shadow of the dams. Over 50 years of hydro development has left communities in incredible pain and a feeling of helplessness to confront the problems and find meaningful ways forward. It is this pain and helplessness that will be named and addressed through the ICH project. It is proposed that in August 2023, two grandmothers and two youth helpers from several hydro-impacted communities will be invited to the Grand Rapids Culture Camp for a Grandmother’s Healing Circle. The invitees will be women who are already active in their communities and have long ties with the fight for justice for their people. As keepers of the water, the participating women must find a way to heal from the devastation of the waterways which surround their communities and are now being ‘rented out’ to Manitoba Hydro by the Province of Manitoba. Water is a human right and not a commodity. The participating Grandmothers believe that, as keepers of water, are obligated to ensure that water is clean, accessible, unpolluted, and continues to fulfill its spiritual roles for their communities, grandchildren, and future generations. They also believe that when they are powerless to fulfill this obligation, then they must figure out a new path to wholeness and good health.
The grandmothers from each of the hydro-affected communities will meet with each other and with the youth to discuss “what we can do for our communities to help the youth find their way to that way of life that made our people resilient and strong.” This will allow grandmothers from one community to travel with youth to another community to speak with young people in schools or in alternate venues. They will discuss these plans with the youth and learn from them what activities would be most beneficial for their communities, e.g., culture camps, workshops, or conferences. ICH is inviting two grandmothers and two youth from eight communities (Misipawistik Cree Nation (Grand Rapids), Chemawawin Cree Nation (Easterville), O-pipon-na-piwin Cree Nation (Southern Indian Lake), Fox Lake Cree Nation, York Factory, Norway House, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (Nelson House), and Pimicikamak Cree Nation (Cross Lake)), in total 16 grandmothers and 16 youth.
Gitanyow Health & Wellness Society, Kitwanga, BC
Gyets Gitxsan Guks Guuhls lip Siwilaaksinsxwi’m – Call Back our Education
Curriculum Development Initiative
March 2023 – March 2024 | Budget: $15,000
The Gitanyow Health & Wellness Society (formerly named Gitanyow Human Resources Authority) under the responsibility of their Gyets (western) Gitxsan Residential School (IRS) Program will implement the project. The Gitxsan IRS Program provides support services to the survivors of Indian Residential Schools, Indian Days Schools, 60s Scoop survivors and their families. The Gyets Gitxsan IRS Program Vision is aimed at a cohesive society of “Well Groomed Gitxsan”. Their mission is to provide support, education, and awareness, Gitxsan healing tools, to assist survivors of Indian Residential Schools, their communities, and families to receive the tools to heal, learn and become well-groomed Gitxsan. The long legacy of Indian Residential Schools, Indian Day Schools and 60s Scoop on the Gitxsan society has resulted in trauma that is realized in visible effects and affects of First Nations people across Canada. This history has not been taught in mainstream Canadian schools. It wasn’t until just recently that Canada has learned about this stark truth through the media and T’kemlups Teschewepum’k (Kamloops IRS) finding of 215 unmarked graves at their IRS site.
The project proposed to carry out their Gyets Gitxsan Guks Guuhls lip Siwilaaksinsxwi’m Curriculum Development Initiative. This initiative will educate, raise awareness, provide connection to lost culture, language, history, self-awareness, and wellness through connection to self and lax yip (land). This knowledge will promote self-esteem, identity, revitalization of culture and language through renewed connections to land, knowledge of history and Gitxsan values. The three participating western Gitxsan communities, Gitanyow, Gitwangak and Gitsegukla, are situated along the eastern end of the Skeena River. Each community is about 500 people on reserve totalling about 1500 people. The rate of youth in the communities is 50% of community members under the ages of 18 which means currently there are 700 school aged children in our communities. Currently there is an ongoing construction of a $40 million Gitxsan West High School. These participating students will be attending the Gitxsan West School at some point soon. This access to educational will have a definite impact on Gitxsan children for generations to come. Gyets Gitxsan IRS Program recognizes the need for a ‘new’ approach to education within the high school that is Gitxsan specific. This initiative will take at least a year to develop and implement and the project aims proactively “to take the lead in this initiative rather than wait and implement ‘regular’ ‘status quo’ education that has not been working for our children.”
The Anglican Council of Indigenous People (ACIP)
From Trauma to New Life (Phase 1), Winnipeg, MB
January to March 2023 | Budget: $15,000
The Canadian government created Residential Schools and Day Schools as a way to “kill the Indian in the child.” Children were forcibly removed from their homes and taken to the schools where they were disciplined for speaking their language. Children were abused, sexually, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Most recently, the bodies of children discovered on the grounds of former Residential Schools has resulted in an awakening to the horrors of the schools. As early as the 1930s and later in the 1960s, children were “scooped” from their Indigenous parents and adopted into non-Indigenous homes, removing them from any connections to their heritage. The survivors of the schools did not know how to parent and created broken homes. The intergenerational trauma continues to this day as are recorded the stories of missing and murdered Indigenous men, women, girls, and boys. Today, the jails are filled with Indigenous people and the “scooping” or removing of Indigenous children from their biological parents continues. Young people, unaware of their proud history of living off the land and waters are committing suicide as they deal with addictions and poverty.
The churches have since apologized along with the Government of Canada. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed and resulted in 95 Calls to Action. With this long history of trauma that the Church has taken part in, it is critical that trauma healing and acts of reconciliation must be pursued. The problem addressed is trauma which is common to most Indigenous people. The challenge is for healing reconciliation and community restoration. This project seeks to begin addressing cumulative trauma in Indigenous communities in Northern Manitoba in a three-phase process to partner the Anglican Council Indigenous Peoples (ACIP) with the Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI). This project aims to bring together 30 Indigenous and non-Indigenous Christians from different denominations, 15 from the south joining 15 from the north. This partnership offered an opportunity for training of people to know how to respond to inter-generational trauma who could then go back to their communities. Each community involved will be given tools to assist communities in their healing. Educated community members will receive resources that will stay with their communities and the project will be evaluated to duplicate in other communities.
Read more about this program in the Anglican Journal.
Medicine Eagle Camp, Elphinstone, MB
Medicine Eagle Camp Teaching Sessions 2022-2023
July 2022 – March 2023
Medicine Eagle Camp Is a traditional teaching and harvesting camp where traditional Knowledge Keepers teach students about the Anishinaabe medicines which grow in this region and where this knowledge has been passed on from Ojibway ancestors/families. The land where the Medicine Eagle Camp is located belongs to the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation. The Medicine Eagle Camp is a recognized camp by the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation community and its leaders. It has been in operation for over 15 years. In particular, the community has depended on the traditional medicines during 2020-2022 to help with the pandemic waves which have affected the community and other surrounding communities. Further to this, the Riding Mountain National Park plays an important role in ensuring that the habitat of the medicines is protected, and an official agreement has been signed in the past which recognizes the rights of the medicine people to harvest traditional medicines in the park. The camp helps to support the work of healing from intergenerational trauma, abuse, and the loss of culture resulting from colonialism and residential schools. It supports students long-term in healing themselves and their family members through re-connection to traditional culture, the land, and being in a reciprocal relationship with one another. The project aims to continue teachings and harvesting of Ojibway traditional medicines, otherwise they will be lost. These traditional teachings bring interested students together so they can learn firsthand how to gather and use these medicines and learn how to protect this traditional knowledge for future generations.
The following activities were successfully implemented by the Medicine Eagle Camp: During July, community volunteers, along with some students were responsible to set up the camp, including the assemble of four teepees, three were available for camping in, and one was set aside for ceremonies. The Sacred Fire area was cleaned, and wood brought closer. The participating Elders held the Pipe Ceremony and offered tobacco prayers for the use of the Sacred Fire. The Elders’ talks were about the land and the medicines that “… (these gifts from Mother Earth) were to be picked and how the plants are also living beings and are waiting to help us to heal.” Late July, the University of Winnipeg brought two professors and nine students enrolled in the Indigenous Ethnobotany Field Class to attend the first training session onsite at the end of July. Also, another four students from Years 1-4 were accepted to attend as there was still space for more students for a total of 13 students and two University of Winnipeg education staff. Four graduate-level medicine teachers came out to assist with the two groups to provide teachings according to the years of the students. Read more about this program. In August 2022, 25 students in years 1-4 along with 5 children registered to the second training session. Of the 25 students present, 13 were in year 1, seven in year 2, three in year 3, and two in year 4. Also, five teachers attended this session facilitated by the Medicine Eagle Camp Elders. Some photos are attached. Participants and students to the two training sessions and facilitators submitted program evaluation forms that concluded that the teaching sessions were a great success. The students who participated were very thankful for the medicine teachings, and no negative comments were received from the students. Also, the local Band Council, the Health Office, and more volunteers from the community and other First Nation communities provided support to the Medicine Eagle Camp activities.
Métis Nation of Ontario – Highland Waters Metis Council, ON
Fireweed Learning Community Plant
October 2021 – December 2022 | Budget: $10,000
In November 2021, Métis Nation of Ontario – Highland Waters Metis Council in collaboration with the Fireweed Learning Community received funding support from PWRDF to carry out their Seed Sanctuary program that aims to reconnect Indigenous food and farming practices to Indigenous culture and knowledge recovery, as well as teaching the community on land stewardship and protection of nature and environment. In 2022, a water storage system was assembled by the partner making possible the collection of rainwater, which was used to water their teaching gardens. They offered activities onsite to children (4-12 years old) and adults (40-65 years old) from various Ontario locations. As the local Metis Council project, an increased number of visitors came to enjoy the tours, workshops, and classes, including a retreat. Also, 45 new families have entered the lead partner’s online platform and are benefiting from written content and teachings about nature and environment. In the spring, the project facilitators grow their gardens with a redesign into a medicine wheel for more plant teachings as that has been the public more preferred activity.
The project programming onsite gained recognition as a public venue to host events and teach the local Metis members and others about seeds planting, growing of food, perennial and medicine plants, which all are welcomed as gifts from the land, Mother Earth. These enhanced activities allowed the Council hired their first volunteer, a high school co-op student, whose earned knowledge and skills and hard work during her contract term made possible to assist the Council in carrying out the project activities smoothly. A second high school co-op student and a first-year university have also joined the program volunteers’ team in the summer. The partner assessed the project success by stating “… (it) has been a beautiful project for building relationships and allowed to have help to enhance their work and reach out more communities eager to learn about Indigenous teachings… It helps bring people to the area and it has helped cottagers feel more called to stewardship and understanding the local Native landscape”.
Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (KORLCC), QC
Kahnawake Capacity Development for Future Generations and Community Wellbeing Project
January to December 2022 | Budget: $15,000
Since 2022, KORLCC is implementing the Kahnawake Capacity Development for Future Generations and Community Wellbeing Project, with funding support from PWRDF. The project aims to ensure access to local talent with needed expertise and skills as results of implemented plans of capacity development (i.e., training of cultural interpreters, museum curators, and play writers), and Indigenous knowledge keepers. In addition to these activities, the program includes land-based learning of survival skills, hunting, medicines, and tree identification taught in an immersion setting and the skilled activities such as beading, traditional singing, wood carving, silver smithing, will be taught in an immersion setting. Elders’ involvement ensures proper validation and assessment of the Mohawk learning, expertise, and proficiency by onsite visits for exposure and certify the qualifications for trainees’ graduation and hiring for new jobs in the community that is committed the preserve and speak the language always. This project responds to the Kahnawake Mohawk community need for local talent to be timely available at the opening of the proposed new facility, the Cultural Village, which will host the new facilities for KORLCC, as well as for the Community Theater and the Community Museum.
The project lead participants are students from the KORLCC Mohawk language Kanien’kéha Ratiwennahnírats Adult Immersion Program. The facilitator of the project programming is a KORLCC past graduate of the immersion program, with a specialization in skills taught. Because of this project implementation is done in their Ancestral Mohawk Ways, KORLCC has compiled a long list of resources that the participants can tap into for activities and curriculum development. KORLCC key strategy in implementing the project is having local facilitators with experience on the necessary skills required to be developed, and a high language proficiency. A total of two Kanien’kéha Ratiwennahnírats cohorts, totaling 22 students participated in the 2022 project. The age range of the students is between 18 to 65 years old, all Indigenous and 99% from Kahnawà:ke community, the remaining 1% from sister Mohawk communities of Akwesasne and Tyendinaga. On March 28, 2022, KORLCC, the Turtle Island Theatre, Kahnawà:ke Tourism, and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke announced a major federal government funding support of $16 million towards the construction of the multi-purpose building. PWRDF congratulated KORLCC for this great news. PWRDF is honoured to be part of this historical event and continued partnership with KORLCC.
Birth Support Worker Program, Diocese of Edmonton, AB
Indigenous Birth Support Worker Program
March to December 2022 | Budget: $15,000
The Diocese of Edmonton’s Birth Support Worker Program supports Indigenous people (including many at-risk youth and adults, as-well as low-income families) during pregnancy, birth, postpartum and into early parenting. Based in Edmonton, the program serves families across Treaty 6, 7 and 8 Territories, Metis Nation of Alberta Regions, and Alberta Metis Settlements, rural, urban and on reserve. Most supported families face numerous barriers and have complex needs arising from the multi-generational impacts of colonial trauma and history, including the Residential Schools experience, the 60’s Scoop and the foster care system. The day-to-day work of the program contributes to healing and, alongside mentoring work, helps restore the knowledge of how to support people on their birthing journey back to families and communities where it can then be transmitted to other community members as well as future generations. Birth work is the ongoing work of generational healing, cultural resurgence, language reclamation, the restoration of ceremony, knowledge, and traditions. It breaks the cycles set in motion by colonization, colonial systems and structures, and the attempts to erase and then assimilate Indigenous peoples, including through the Indian Residential School system.
During 2022, this program has been able to continue to support Indigenous people, including pregnant youth and adults, their babies, and multiple generations in families, including grandparents and other children present in the home, many of whom are high-risk and low-income. In addition to receiving culturally-safe, trauma-informed, inclusive prenatal care and education, birth support and postpartum care, specific outcomes and impacts have included: access to a wide range of culturally-safe and appropriate supports; increased physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being; the opportunity for personal healing, learning and growth through cultural and other resources; decreased isolation through ongoing relational supports and Indigenous community circles; improvements in housing and food security; and restoration of traditional knowledge, practices, ceremonies and language. Indigenous families experience many barriers to care that don’t exist in the same way for non-Indigenous families. These barriers include assumptions, biases, judgements, the privileging of settler colonial worldviews and practices, a lack of culturally safe care (power imbalances and racism), and a lack of trauma-informed care, to name some of the most prominent.
1JustCity, Winnipeg, MB
Elder in Residence and Harm Reduction Program
October 2021 to September 2022 | Budget: $10,000
1JustCity supports three drop-in community centres in Winnipeg’s core neighbourhoods: West Broadway, the West End and Osborne Village. The project fosters well-being among Indigenous community members seeking support with healing intergenerational trauma and abuse that they have experienced personally and will provide direct support to community members living with substance use disorders. The program is implemented by an Elder-in-residence, and a Harm Reduction/Outreach Program worker. The primary participants in these programs were people who access services at the three drop-in locations. These would be urban people, living in poverty, either homeless or without safe/secure housing, many with mental health and/or substance use disorders. More than 75% of the people who participate in the Centre spaces are Indigenous. During 2022, there were over 100 people who engaged directly with these programs.
1JustCity reported that the implementation of the Indigenous Elder-in-Residence program and the Harm Reduction program have met the expected results successfully. The Elder-in-residence worked with existing Indigenous staff people to help them design and implement programs such as Sharing Circles, Pow Wow demonstrations, a Sweat Lodge, smudging, Full Moon Ceremonies, medicine picking, beginner language instruction, beading, and sewing. The Harm Reduction program staff person provided training and support to existing staff at the three locations. She helped us to partner with a local group called Street Connections who now provide the organization with safer drug use supplies and information. She also led the 1stJustCity in doing Outreach Walks in the community, where the program staff would spend a few hours at a time visiting homeless encampments near our drop-in sites, to connect and build relationships with people who (for many reasons) may have been uncomfortable entering the three locations. The Outreach Walks was also used as an opportunity to distribute safer drug use supplies, food, and other items such as socks/hats/gloves.
Indigenous Peoples Alliance of Manitoba- North (IPAM-N)
COVID 19 Response to Affected Indigenous Communities in Northern Region of Manitoba
January to March 2022 | Budget: $50,000
In January of 2022, COVID and OMRICON became a critical health issue in Northern Manitoba, many people who had not gotten COVID were getting the Omicron Virus. People who had been vaccinated and those non vaccinated were being recorded as having the virus and it was spreading from one community to another, nursing stations, front line responders were being overwhelmed, and ICUs were filled to full capacity. Many of the communities in this region went into lock-down. IPAM-N immediately saw a gap as these communities did not qualify for First Nation Assistance as many of them were off reserve and living in Settlements and Communities, some were living in Thompson (City), The Pas and other Urban Centres. Many families were place into Isolation, and some were sent to Thompson to hotel rooms to isolate, not giving them time to even pack some toys for their children.
On January 11, 2022, PWRDF provided funding support to IPAM-N (based to implement their COVID 19 Response to Affected Indigenous Communities in Northern Region of Manitoba. The funds allowed the purchase of required supplies and food due to the Omicron Outbreak for the 15 identified and most affected communities: Moose Lake, Cormorant, The Pas, Grand Rapids, Wabowden, Cross Lake, Thompson, Leaf Rapids, Lynn Lake, Thicket Portage, St. Theresa Point, Pikwitonei, Sherridon, Easterville, and Brochet. These supplies were very difficult to access in the northern remote communities and very expensive due to the distance and weather conditions. IPAM-N was able to have the help from over 50 helpers and volunteers, including youth. Along with the delivery of the cleaning supplies, IPAM-N was able to deliver hampers with much needed food supplies as well. IPAM-N witnessed the joy that these supplies have given the people who were in dire needs and very pleased when volunteers showed up at their doors. There were many tears of joy and blessings given to us and our helpers.
Diocese of Algoma
COVID 19 Response To Communities Of The Diocese Of Mishamikoweesh
January to February 2022 | Budget: $21,150
In January 2022, the Diocese of Algoma received from PWRDF funding support for the COVID 19 Response to communities of the Diocese of Mishamikoweesh to the Diocese of Algoma. The funds were transferred to the St. Paul’s Anglican Parish in Thunder Bay, Ontario to implement the project. Bearskin Lake was identified as one of the most affected communities with nearly half the population sick with the Omicron virus. In consultation with the Band Leader and with Indigenous support in Thunder Bay, the parish decided that food was desperately needed for Bearskin. St. Paul’s also spoke with Bishop Lydia Mamakwa and she spoke about the need for personal protection equipment (PPE) for Kingfisher Lake First Nation.
The implementer representative, Archdeacon Deborah Kraft, Thunder Bay said: “I was very grateful for the expedient and generous response of PWRDF for indigenous needs in northwestern Ontario. The contract with the Diocese of Algoma was signed within 24 hours and the funds were immediately sent to Algoma and then up to St. Paul’s in Thunder Bay. To have the much-valued support this quickly speaks highly about the responsiveness and organization of the PWRDF.” The results were of great impact, food was shipped up to Bearskin Lake First Nation by ice road on a large transport paid for by the band. PPE was sent by charter air up to Kingfisher Lake First Nation. The outcomes were magnified with an additional donation of $5,000 from Home Depot for the purchase of heaters and humidifiers. Semple Enterprises donated an additional $6000 worth of PPE for Kingfisher. All the products were received by the end of January 2022 and put to immediate use. The beneficiaries were the residents of Bearskin Lake and Kingfisher Lake. “They are very grateful,” said Archdeacon Kraft.
Diocese of Rupert’s Land
COVID 19 Response to Tataskweyak First Nation (Cree Nation), ON
January to February 2022 – Budget: $15,000
In January 2022, the Diocese of Rupert’s Land/Split Lake or Tataskwayak Cree Nation (TCN) received funding support from PWRDF for their project COVID 19 Response to Tataskweyak First Nation. On January 3, 2022, the Rt. Rev. Isaiah Larry Beardy put out a call for help for the Tataskwayak Cree Nation (TCN). The Omicron wave of Covid-19 was devastating their community and the health care supports could not keep up. The community agreed to go into lockdown, and everyone needed to stay home. With the sudden onset of the Omicron wave, the community had very little time to prepare for the extended lock down. The immediate needs were outlined as Covid 19 health and safety supplies, cleaning supplies and food, as well as generators.
Diocese of Rupert’s Land office (DRLO) implemented the project, they ensured the delivery of two initial shipments of health and safety supplies to the community included masks, hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes, and a few rapid tests and gloves. While the community was still on lockdown, DRLO shipped out 100 activity packs for the kids, along with more cleaning supplies. This office also sent up 100 boxes of cereal, as there was none in the local store. While laundry soap was high on the list of desired cleaning items, sourcing that many and shipping them was proving difficult. So, with some research DRLO ended up sourcing out “Tru Earth” laundry strips. The office sent enough to do over 2600 loads of laundry, with directions on how to use them. The strips are small and biodegradable, safe for lakes and rivers and saves a large amount of recycling or garbage waste. In the height of the shutdown, most of the TCN was without power. A large need for generators or portable stoves was identified. The Final shipment was of four generators for the band office to sign out to households in need. All the health and safety supplies, cleaning supplies, activity packs and food were shipped directly to the Rt. Rev. Isaiah Larry Beardy and he and his fellow clergy distributed them to the community. The project beneficiary is the TCN community of over 3000 people, or roughly 500 households.