Diversity Awards 2018 Winners in Red Deer
Keynote Speaker 2018 Diversity Awards:
Roberto Alas:
Roberto is a Strategic Advisor in International Business Relations for Canadian Companies pursuing opportunities in Global Markets, meanly Latin America. His Corporate clients are mature buisness individuals (50 years old and up) in Industries like: Commercial Glass, Real Estate, Medical Tourism, Hospitality, Technology, etc. They travel often with Roberto investing in unique business opportunities in Latin American Markets. Also, Roberto is currently Mentor to 5 Young Professionals, among them individuals with MBA’s, Entrepreneurs, Start Ups (25 to 40 years old). He is passionate, intense and is always on the go, creating opportunities where no one else cannot, manifesting great results with VIP business connections in more than 25 Countires Worldwide! For further info please visit his website: www.robertoalas.ca
Host 2018 Diversity Awards:
Keri-Lynn Gibbs:
Keri-Lynn Gibbs, our Diversity ESL Columnist, joined our team in 2014 and has a passion for inter-cultural understanding, community endeavors and linguistics.
She is an adult educator and humanitarian active in volunteerism and human rights causes. Keri-Lynn is a native-born Albertan who grew up in Central Alberta and is excited to be see Diversity launch in the region.
Hailing from Red Deer, her childhood was filled with long summer days at Westerner Days, picnics at Kin Canyon and rides on “The Witches Hat” – where she landed none the worse for wear and more than believed she could fly. Afternoons traversing the many lovely bike trails down by Kerry Wood Nature Centre and paddling boating at Bower Ponds with friends are some of her favourite memories.
Winners of the 2018 Diversity Awards:
Diversity Awards 2018 Winners:
Bernadette Iahtail Biography:
Bernadette Iahtailis a registered Social Worker, Co-founder and Executive Director of Creating Hope Society. Bernadette is a producer, co-writer, an advocate. Her key passion is to create awareness of Aboriginal history, specifically to inform Canadians of the ongoing ripple effects of Residential Schools and the 60s and 70s child welfare scoop. She has a long distinguished record of achievement and has demonstrated to being an exceptional leader, talented, savvy and dedicated to building relationships within the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community.
As a professional her values are “equality, diversity and inclusion”. In her personal life her values are “respect, trust, honesty, fairness and she stand up for what is right. Spiritually she has a great understanding that every being wants to be heard, loved and open in finding solutions. Bernadette is a registered Social Worker, an advocate, researcher, writer, film producer, wife, mother and grandmother. Her greatest achievement is co-Founding of Creating Hope Society; which is dedicated to educating and bringing awareness of Aboriginal history to Canadians.
Bernadette is a recipient of the; Esquao – Angel Among Us; Canadian Association of Social Work Award; Wicihitowin Circle of Shared Responsibility and Stewardship “Walk of Honor”; John Humphrey Centre Gerald L. Gall Award For Peace and Human Rights; and her personal story documentary in the Canadian Human Rights Museum located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Former President of the Edmonton Intercultural Centre, Board of Director at Boyle Street Chartered School and was a member for the Aboriginal Advisory Committee of the Alberta Child, Family Research Centre. She is an active member of the Edmonton Coalition for Human Rights and the Aboriginal coalitions of Edmonton and Stony Plain Aboriginal Leadership Team.
NorQuest College Edmonton Biography:
NorQuest College, from our people, to the way we teach, to our culture; inclusion and diversity are a priority at NorQuest College. Our doors are open to all, including those who are underrepresented such as Indigenous Peoples, new Canadians, adult learners, and persons with disabilities.
With 64 per cent of our students born outside of Canada and 103 languages spoken on campus, we offer a taste of the world. If you walk into NorQuest this week, you’ll see our annual Inclusion Fusion event in action with individuals participating in a collective art project, a community dialogue on Islam, a listening campaign exhibit featuring student participants from Black History month, and more.
And no matter where we are, we continue pushing these values. For example, our new campus addition, the Singhmar Centre for Learning, features many new spaces including a much larger Indigenous student centre with a ceremonial room and support staff including an Indigenous student liaison, Indigenous educational counsellor, Indigenous community engagement consultant, and resident Elder. And on the employee end, about two dozen staff and faculty participate in a Butterfly Moon Project every term where they are given an Indigenous perspective on Canadian and Edmonton history. In two years 60 per cent of NorQuest employees have taken some form of Indigenous awareness training. Our commitment to Indigenous Peoples continues with the recently launched NorQuest Indigenization Strategy.
Also in the Singhmar Centre for Learning is the 1000 Women Child Care Centre. Operated by the Intercultural Child and Family Centre, this facility is a brilliant example of our diverse and inclusive approach to learning. The centre provides culturally responsive child care services to NorQuest College students, employees, and the wider community. It embodies intercultural awareness with multi-ethnic staff who cater to the diverse backgrounds of the children they serve.
NorQuest College is a place where everyone is welcome, and where safety and respect are a priority. We recently updated our Respectful Workplace and Learning Environment Policywhich applies to all individuals on the college premises. Our accompanying procedureoutlines the process to file a complaint. Both are accessible on our public website, www.norquest.ca. Additionally, through our LearningResource Network, we offer employees a Workplace of Respect workshop where individuals learn more about respectful behaviours and those that do not reflect our values.
Our work, however, is not restricted to within the college doors. Through our Centre for Intercultural Education, we deliver workshops to help organizations reduce intercultural barriers. The centrecontinues to be recognized as a leader in applied research, resource development, and customized workplace training in the space of intercultural education. Over the last year, leadership training has been completed by industry leaders from ATB, City of Edmonton, and Enbridge.
And our work is being recognized, too. In 2017, NorQuest College received the Alberta Business Awards of Distinction Diversity Leadership Award. Also in 2017, NorQuest was recognized as one of Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures, winning in the Broader Public Sector Organization category. We were additionally thrilled to be a finalist for the 2018 Alberta Business Awards of Distinctionunder the Indigenous Relations – Best Practices Award of Distinction category.
Sturgeon County Biography:
Sturgeon County is a rural municipality that is part of the Greater Edmonton Region. They employ 225 people and pride themselves on their inclusive culture. Sturgeon openly embraces a diverse employee base including people of all races and many different ethnic origins, members of the LGBT community, people with disabilities, First Nations people and women in all jobs from Grader Operator to Senior Manager.
Sturgeon County as an employer, is a trail blazer in many areas. Before the new employment laws in Jan. 2018 for example, they already offered employees Family Responsibility leave to care for sick family members, including both children and elderly family members. They employ active retirees until such time as they are no longer able to perform their jobs.
In addition, generous sick and disability benefits and an inclusive modified work program support the employees. Professionals who are newcomers to Canada are given volunteer opportunities to gain Canadian specific experience to allow them to compete for jobs in their fields. In one case, Sturgeon employees actually picked up the volunteer to bring them to work because they did not have access to a vehicle.
Sturgeon County has also embraced the inclusion of Service Dogs for employees who suffer from PTSD and has found this to be extremely rewarding both from the organizational perspective and that of the employees who are better able to function in their jobs because of the support they are provided. The Service Dogs allow the employees to come to work on a regular basis and help the employee to be able to cope with the challenges of working and living with PTSD. When their struggles are too much to cope, the County provides ample time off and a modified work program.
Edmonton Police Service – Recruit Mentoring Academy:
The Recruit Selection Unit is mandated to strive to hire based on the demographics of Edmonton. Our historical recruitment process required applicants to self-identify, develop background skills independently and self-assess readiness and suitability. For over thirty years RSU has not changed our approach in the method we recruit. As a result, we have not been able to hire and match the drastically shifting demographics within our community.
While many hired officers have been influenced or mentored by family members who know about a career in policing, most individuals in underrepresented communities do not have the same network to guide and mentor them in a similar fashion. Past EPS approaches to recruit and mentor from underrepresented communities have been expensive, labor intensive and limited in success. The EPS needed to find a better way to recruit from underrepresented groups and establish a process to develop applicants who have strong potential.
To help achieve this objective we piloted the “RSU Mentoring Academy”. The main objective of the Academy has been to identify promising applicants from underrepresented communities and expose them to sessionsrelated to the application process. Another objective has been to introduce the EPS culture to promising applicants in a controlled environment prior to Recruit Training Unit. We plan to actively shape the caliber and quality of the pool of applicants from underrepresented communities and expand the current recruiting practices.
With this new tool we plan to close the gap between the EPS and the underrepresentedcommunities we serve using the cost-effective Academy as a method of achieving our mandate.The Mentoring Academy is a 12 week program which operates once a week for three hours, exposing the applicants to a variety of sessions related to the application process, as well as what a career with the EPS would look like.
By increasing our underrepresented applicant we are hoping to increase our commitment to a more diverse membership within the Edmonton police Service and strengthen our community relations. This is the future of how the Edmonton Police Service will recruit and support applicants from under represented communities. Below is link to a CBC article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-police-mentorship-academy-1.4175177
Darlene MacDonald Biography:
Darlene MacDonald has been with the Learning Council Association for 20 plus years. The Learning Council is proud to assist Newcomer Learners with their learning and integration journey through a variety of programs that Council offers from English Language Learning, to Digital\Computer training, to Family Literacy learning opportunities depending on where the Learner’s goals lie. Darlene found the Learning Council Association to be a stepping stone from a full time position of 10 years with Lakeland College to a part-time position with the Learning Council to raise a family.
Darlene loves to see Newcomer learners’ lives and their family’s lives transform, making her position with the Learning Council worthwhile. Darlene sees these transformations often, in a variety of programs. Along her journey Darlene has been honored with “the woman of Wisdom Award” as well as another provincial award for Outstanding Contribution to Community Adult Learning in Alberta. Darlene has stated that she is a bit like Wayne Gretzky & must credit her amazing team and a caring community.
She quotes ” it’s easy to work in such a rich & fulfilling environment. I love my job!” On a personal note, Darlene is happily married to Glenn MacDonald for 33 years with 2 wonderful boys Duncan & Stetson. She says that she is fortunate to be able to raise her family on the family farm of 100 years of a generational family farm. Darlene and her husband enjoyed volunteering in their community throughout the years & traveling throughout Canada with the boy’s sports activities; from which they have met many families who are still close friends today. Darlene and Glenn enjoy gardening & landscaping which helps to keep them young.
Gurmit Sarpal’s Biography:
Gurmit Sarpal has made the world around her a better place to live. She is revered within her community on how anyone can live an exemplary life. In 1976 Gurmit immigrated to Canada from India She is 68 years old married and has 2 children and 4 grand children. Aside from the cultural shock she experienced upon arrival, she was also battling severe depression. To combat this black cloud, Gurmit took it upon herself to change her life by becoming involved in the community. From teaching traditional Indian music to children, to writing health and spirituality articles for South Asian newspapers and radio shows, she completely transformed her outlook and influenced those around her.
It wasn’t long before she was approached with an offer of her own mental and physical health program on South Asian radio and television. In 2006, Gurmit founded the Royal woman Cultural Association, which has empowered hundreds of immigrant women to come forward to end tolerance for domestic abuse and violence. She has helped increase their self-esteem and nurture their artistic talents by alleviating their loneliness and isolation.
Gurmit also volunteers her time with Alberta Health Services as a community health advocate since 2007. Before immigrating to Canada, she completed her Nursing degree and uses her background to facilitate Workshop such as “Better Choice, Better Health” organized by Alberta health services. She has been raising charitable donations for Alberta children hospital. She was also featured in a book called “Proud Women, a collection of stories” written by the Calgary Immigrant Woman’s Association (CIWA) in 2009. She has been recognized by many important government officials and received awards including the Immigrant’s of Distinction Award (IDA), in 2015 for her almost 40 years of volunteer community services. United way recognizes the Royal Woman Association to pioneer the annual Anti-Domestic event in the N.E Calgary. DV events are held by RWCA with help from North Mcknight community services (NMCS).
Recently, a CBC News journalist wrote a special report in the Calgary Herald, on Gurmit titled, “Helping Woman Develop Better Mental Health”. Gurmit has dedicated her life to enabling those in need. As a natural role model in the communities she touches, she is a person to remind us to reach out to others in need.
MLA Chris Nielsen Biography:
MLA Chris Nielsen has been an Edmonton resident since 1982, and worked in Edmonton for 26 years prior to his election in Edmonton-Decore.
He currently serves as a member of the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts the Select Special Ethics and Accountability Committee, as well as the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing.
MLA Nielsen served for many years as shop steward, as a member of the health and safety committee at his workplace and as a board member of the Children’s Heart Society. He lives in Edmonton-Decore with his family.
MLA Nielsen is very proud to be the MLA for Edmonton-Decore, which is one of the most culturally diverse ridings in Edmonton. He has had the honor and privilege of attending numerous cultural events within the past years, and will continue to do so throughout the summer and the rest of the year. Because of the diversity in his riding, he has coordinated numerous events that have helped to celebrate and highlight this diversity.
“A Taste of Decore” was created to showcase businesses, organizations, schools and performers from Edmonton-Decore and North Edmonton. On April 28th, the 2ndAnnual event was held and it was attended by approximately 700 people. Activities included a Turban Tying Demonstration, as well as numerous performances from organizations such as the Sri Lanka Canada Friendship Association of Edmonton and the Verkhovyna School of Ukrainian Dance.
On March 21st, MLA Nielsen also helped to organize a student conference at Balwin School for the International Day For The Elimination of Racism. It was a wonderful day of celebrating cultural diversity as there were guest speakers from a multitude of backgrounds.
MLA Nielsen also was a supporter of the Sikh Helmet Exemption Law, and has fought for and continues to advocate for the rights of taxi drivers in the city and province. He will continue to fight for the end of discrimination and racism and will fight for equality for all Albertans.
Dr Love Nwigwe Biography:
Dr. Love Nwigwe is the founder and president of International women of purpose cultural association in Red Deer,an association dedicated to the maintenance, protection, and exhibition of different cultures regardless of their race. She is happily married to Dr. Prince Nwigwe and is a mother of 4 successful Children who are making a difference in the community.
Love is a business owner, she is a pastor in her local church, a conference speaker who takes the gospel to different parts of the world to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Red Deer, she is involved in providing love and comfort to people in difficult times such as grieving, miscarriage and divorce, she uses grace and compassion to restore women who have been lured into prostitution
She values the richness of every culture and strives to transfer these treasures to the next generation by organizing cultural events such as storytelling, cultural dance, fashion shows etc. with the youth.
Love also is a natural health practitioner, provides healthy lifestyle workshops, counselling and emotional healing sections to women who survived genocide in Ruanda, orphans and widows in Uganda and Nigeria. She is very passionate about the well being of families in Red Deer where she lives
Jan Underwood Biography:
Jan has made an amazing impact on the community in Central Alberta as the Public Awareness Coordinator – Community Educator with Central Alberta Refugee Effort for fifteen years. Jan has proven herself to be a leader in delivering intercultural training, providing support and information in regards to immigration, settlement, human rights, social justice issues, and community development. She is a strong and passionate advocate, ally and champion of inclusion and integration for all diversity.
As the Public Awareness Coordinator – Community Educator at C.A.R.E., she delivers hundreds of workshops and presentations per year throughout Central Alberta in colleges, universities, workplaces, organizations and conferences. These presentations are making a difference in the lives of students and adults and focus on cross cultural awareness, knowledge, communication, sensitivity, human rights, anti-racism, and multiculturalism.
In more recent years, she has completed much research on cultural competency in organizations, management of culturally diverse workforces, and intercultural strategies and tools for business which she shares with the groups she is connected with. She is an active member of the Red Deer community and regularly volunteers in different capacities – producing and directing plays for local theatre groups, on various committees e.g. Education for Somalia, and is passionate about community development in particular regarding the attraction, retention and integration of new immigrants to Central Alberta.
Jan has worked with the Welcoming and Inclusive Communities initiatives in Red Deer, Innisfail, Lacombe and Olds as a committee member, consultant and trainer sharing her expertise to assist these communities in working with newcomers. She has organized many multicultural events and activities, creating many local partnerships and collaborations with other organizations and agencies and developed new initiatives for March 21st, Human Rights Day, International Women’s Day and World Refugee Day. She brings a confidence to the newcomer volunteers that she has worked with over the years at C.A.R.E and they are very appreciative of the assistance and support she has provided in their transition and settlement in Canada. She has a positive, pro-active attitude and is always willing to go beyond the role of her position to assist communities and clients to become welcoming and inclusive of all diversity.
She was a facilitator with AMSSA’s Safe Harbour: Respect for All Initiative and delivered many workshops in Central Alberta. She is also a trained Facilitator of A.R.T. (Anti- Racism Response Training).
Because of her expertise, she has delivered Presentations and Workshops at numerous conferences such as the Canadian Race Relations Foundation Conference in Toronto (recipient of an Award for the development of the Public Awareness Program) Alberta Social Forum, the Saskatchewan Settlement Conference on “Best Practices”, the Parkland Regional Libraries Conference, Metropolis Pre- Conference Workshops, Immigrants in Our Own neighbourhoods – Building Communities – Together ( AAISA Conference), Rural Cultural Diversity Symposium on Welcoming Communities, in Strathmore to name a few. She was a recipient of the Red Deer Community Foundation Women of Excellence Award for Human Services and also the Red Deer Mayors Award in 2013.
As part of Alberta Culture Days in 2015 Jan produced “Journeys of Hope “–developing four plays telling the stories of local refugees using a variety of multi -media, including film, dance, poetry, songs, music, story- telling, which integrated over 100 refugees, immigrants, members of the public, and the arts community, and resulted in a live performance to an audience of 300 and five films by CACHE Productions, which are available on YouTube, have had local public showings and were recently shown at the National Small Centre Conference, 2018, held in Red Deer. She was a recipient of the Red Deer Community Foundation Women of Excellence Award for Human Services and also the Red Deer Mayors Award in 2013.
Jan is indeed an inspirational and dedicated person who has focused her personal and work life on making a positive collective impact
Zainab Mohamoud Biography:
Zainab Mohamoud Founder & President of the Education for Somali Girls and Boys Fund. Zainab founded the Education for Somali Girls and Boys Fund in Somalia in 2014. She worked hard to raise the funds needed to build a school in Somalia that was completed in 2015. Currently the school has 200 students enrolled. Her motivation for founding a school is primarily due to the fact when she was living there (post 1990 war) she found it difficult to get an education and to be treated equally in Somalia.
She made it her mission to make a difference and to do her best to ensure that the next generation of children would not encounter the same problem. As of right now, the school is currently teaching grades 1 through 8. Zainab is now determined to have a residence built on the same site, so that these children will have a safe place to call home while they attend school.
Zainab is the recipient of the 2018 RDC Student Recognition Award, the 2018 RDC Student Recognition Monetary Scholarship, the Daughter of the Year Award in 2014, the Soroptimist Ruby Award in 2015 & the Recognition of Women of Excellence in 2016., fund raising for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s “CIBC Run for the Cure 2013” and she was instrumental in CAIWA winning an award for “Most Challenged Fund Raising Women’s Association, she was team captain and she recreated three teams and each team had 10 to 15 participants who also raised funds for the effort.
Zainab was team captain “CIBC Run for the Cure2014” where she recruited two teams and they raised funds for the cause. She was team captainthe Batting Against Breast Cancer Slo-Pitch Tournament in 2014 and she recruited volunteers for the event, recruited two teams who participants it also raised funds for the effort. Zainab also was the second top of individual fundraiser and she gets recognition from the Breast Cancer foundation.
Zainab is currently doing her 3nd year bachelor of Arts a major sociology, at Red Deer College collaboration program through The U of C. She has a diploma of Social Work and certificate of Child Assistant.
She has been featured for her social work expertise and achievements in Somalia in various local newspapers in Red Deer, Shaw TV, Red Deer College Alumni in 2016-217, Red Deer College newsletter in April 2018, Edmonton newspaper & interviewed on Dalmar TV in Ohio Columbus. She is active on social media to promote her projects and she volunteers her time with Red Deer community. Zainab was part of Women of Excellence 10 annual Diamond event in 2017 and she was responsible for helping them to secured silent auction items and media coordinator. Also, she was part of committee who organized Red Deer Film Justice Fest in 2017 where she was volunteer coordinator so she recruited volunteers for three days.
Valentine Skeels Biography:
Valentine Skeels is originally from French Polynesia where she worked for the Tourism Board, in promoting the islands of Tahiti abroad, before moving to Canada in 2002. Mrs. Skeels lives in Red Deer with her husband and 4 children. She began to get involved in the community of Red Deer by volunteering for Central Alberta Immigrant Women Association (CAIWA).
As a Travel advisor, Valentine is passionate about travel. She has a special interest for the different cultures and traditions of the world, which helps her involvement in the various non-profit cultural and social communities in Alberta. She also likes to share her Polynesian culture. The Francophonie occupies an important place in Ms. Skeels’ life of especially in a minority environment. She is proud to be Francophone and be able to share it with her community.
Valentine Skeels is the Chair of the ACFA regional de Red Deer as well as the School Board Chair for the Francophone School Ecole La Prairie. Since January 2017, Ms. Skeels sits on the Local Immigration Partnership Council (RDLIP) Advisory Board and represents the interests of francophone immigrants. Since April 2017, Mrs Skeels is also part of the 2019 Canada Winter Games official languages Committee.
In November 2017, Mrs. Skeels had the great honor of being one of the recipients of the Senate 150thMedal of the hands of the Honourable Senator Claudette Tardif.
Selected Guest to Attend the 2018 Diversity Awards:
Councillor Dianne Wyntjes of Red Deer:
Dianne Wyntjes has lived in Red Deer since 1975 and have seen our City grow, change and continue to evolve. Raised and growing up on a farm in central Alberta in the Diamond Valley district west of Red Deer, she recognizes and value both urban and rural issues in our region and the importance of municipal relationships in the central Alberta region. And also the importances of the City of Red Deer as a hub of activity – through the economic, environmental, cultural and affordable lens.
She sees the importance of effective municipal leadership within City governance and in the central Alberta region. I recognize the decisions a Councillor makes not only impacts the Council four year term, but often impacts the City’s long term future and footprints we make. She has interests in advancing Literacy issues, is a supporter of the Central Alberta United Way campaign cabinet and is a member of the Sunrise Rotary Club.
Family and community is important to her. She has been married to Allan for 25+ years and we look to continuing to appreciate and enjoy Red Deer as our community in the years ahead. Red Deer is our home.
Harriet Tinka:
Harriet Tinka is one of the talented, driven, and multiple professions known in the community development. She is known as a “Powerhouse Role Model” who encourages self-acceptance and visualization. Harriet represents herself as a Chartered Professional Accountant, life coach, co-author “When Women Talk” and Public speaker by her profession. Besides, she also exemplifies herself as an ultramarathon runner, Canadian Football officiator, and philanthropist.
She has broken through barriers and found ultimate success and fulfillment in inspiring teens and women reach their full potential. She is the founder and CEO of the consulting company Empowered Me, an organization that offers innovative, empowering, and life changing professional workshops. Harriet has received numerous awards including YWCA Woman of Distinction, Global Woman of Vision, Afro- Canadian Community Woman of the Year, Rotary Integrity Award and Daughter’s Day Award.
She also volunteers for over eight organizations. With such height and extreme knowledge, Harriet’s memoir can be very helpful to thousands of people who want to achieve something in their lives, further, Harriet’s words have motivated a number of people to live up their dreams. She runs the toughest races and puts herself through some of the hardest training for no other reason than to see what she’s made of. She does not keep track of the miles she has run. Her goal is to always achieve her personal best and push herself well past her comfort zone. She describes her life as coming from tragic to magic.
Mayor Jim wood of Red Deer County:
Mayor Jim wood is on the board and committee member of the following organization; Municipal Planning Commission (MPC), Audit Committee – Chair, Emergency Management Committee – Chair, Central Alberta Economic Partnership (CAEP). He is also the Director of CAAMDC, a member of the Bowden, Red Deer River Watershed Alliance (RDRWA), South Red Deer Regional Wastewater Commission and Sylvan Lake Regional Wastewater and Water Commissions
MLA Kim Schreiner of Red Deer-North:
Kim Schreiner was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Red Deer-North, on May 5, 2015. She currently serves as deputy chair of the Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund and as a member of the Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services and the Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future. She previously served on the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship.
Prior to her serving with the Legislative Assembly, she worked as a health care aide, beginning in 2007. Over the course of her career she has worked with Valley Park Manor, Covenant Care and Extendicare. She was also the steward and occupational health and safety representative for the local Alberta Union of Provincial Employees. As well, she has done work with resident advisory and family councils.
Born in Abitibi, Quebec, she has called Red Deer home for over 30 years. Mrs. Schreiner received her health care aide certification from NorQuest College. She also studied hairdressing at NAIT between 1981 and 1982. A mother of two, she is also an active school volunteer and a member of parent council.
Mayor Alanna Hnatiw of Sturgeon County:
Mayor Alanna Hnatiw was elected Mayor of Sturgeon County Council in the 2017 Election on Monday, October 16, 2017.
Mayor Hnatiw has been a Sturgeon County resident, as well as an active participant and volunteer in the community for 16 years. She shares her life with husband Rob and two children in Division 5. Ms. Hnatiw comes from four generations of farmers, but has spent most of her adult life as a small business owner in the oil and gas service industry. Her focus is on leadership that will have an open door to its residents and an open mind while looking for innovative solutions to current challenges.
Ms. Hnatiw is committed to playing an active role in strengthening regional relationships and developing a prosperous future for Sturgeon County. Her goal is to support diversification in industry and agriculture and support small business. There are many opportunities in Sturgeon County to chart a course for responsible, sustainable development.
Mayor Hnatiw serves as ex-officio for all Committees of Council and is the Chair of all Regular Council Meetings, unless absent. When not attending to the business of the County, Ms. Hnatiw enjoys time horseback riding, golfing, downhill skiing and teaching Yoga.
Councillor Ken Johnston of Red Deer:
Councillor Ken Johnston was first elected into office in 2013 and was reelected in 2017. His council appointmets include; Community Housing Advisory Board, Emergency Management Committee, Governance & Policy Committee, Urban Aboriginal Voices, Waskasoo Environmental Education Society, and Red Deer Chamber of Commerce just to name a few. Councillor Johnston is a father of two and the oldest of six siblings. His background is as a Personal Financial Planner and retired after a 40year career with Soctiabank. He is a member and past President of Red Deer Rotary Club and a board member of Westerner Exposition. Councillor Johnston served on the board of the Parkland Youth Homes and also a board member of the Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce. He was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in November 2012.
MLA Ronald Orr of Lacombe – Ponoka:
Ronald Orr was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lacombe-Ponoka on May 5, 2015. He currently serves as a member of the Standing Committee on Private Bills.
Mr. Orr has previously served as a member of the Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future, the Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services and the Standing Committee on Families and Communities.
Mr. Orr has a master’s degree in theology and is an ordained minister. He also holds a journeyman carpenter’s ticket and a registered housing professional certificate and has previously owned a general contracting business.
His community involvement includes board positions with a number of charitable organizations, including the Gull Lake Centre and Calgary’s Mustard Seed Society. He also served as a public information officer for the municipal emergency management team for the village of Clive, Alberta.
Mr. Orr was born in Calgary and has lived in Lacombe-Ponoka for 13 years. He and his wife, Donna Marie, have three children.
Councillor Buck Buchanan of Red Deer:
Councillor Buck Buchanan was born in Neepawa, MB, was first elected into office in 2007 and was reelected in 2017. His professional background is a distinguished 29 years with the RCMP – posted in Inuvik, Hay River, Toronto, Ft. Liard, Yellowknife, Vancouver, Burnaby, Innisfail & Red Deer. Councillor Buchanan council appointments include; Central Alberta Economic Partnership, Central Alberta Regional Trail Systems, Downtown Business Association of Red Deer, Emergency Management Committee, Governance and Policy Committee, and Municipal Planning Commission. He is on the board of Crimestoppers, Parkland Youth Home, a member of the Calgary Police Service Pipe Band bagpiper, Sunrise Rotary Club – Community Projects Portfolio and a School Mentor for the Youth & Volunteer. Councilor Buchanan is a family man with a wife and three daughters.
Jim Gurnett:
Seeing diversity as a social strength, and working in support of intercultural and human rights, have been priorities for Jim Gurnett.
While a school principal, he was a member of the executive of the ATA’s Multicultural Education Council for several years, including a term as president, and also on the executive of Alberta Association for Multicultural Education.
For almost a decade, as executive director of Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, he sought to bring people from diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious contexts together to get to know each other and learn from each other. The programs and services of EMCN put a priority on ensuring full participation for everyone, without special status for dominant culture members. He served on the executive (and as president) of Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA) over the same period and was a founder and president of Canadian Immigrant Settlement Sector Council. In more recent years he has done extensive training for staff of immigrant-serving agencies in such areas as intercultural communications.
He has been a director with Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace and more recently helped develop the diversity outreach strategy for the NDP caucus at the Alberta Legislature.
Clients of his consulting business have included John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, ASSIST Community Services, Action for Healthy Communities, Brooks & County Immigration Services, and Grande Prairie Centre for Newcomers, working to enhance community services leading to respect for diversity as a positive value.
He feels gender equity is essential to a healthy diverse community and guided the Daughters Day event for its first three years and worked with groups of marginalized women in writing a book on community action to support this. He serves on the advisory board for Canadian Multicultural Education Foundation and is an active member of Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action.
Kareen Lambert:
Nomination jump from 5 Albertan municipalities in 2017 to 10 this year.
Diversity Award is part of Diversity Magazine Launch in Red Deer.
Deadline: Nominations CLOSED
Organizational Diversity: An Alberta organization that has made a significant improvement in diversity and inclusion with support documents, references, programs, hiring, policy, or implementation.
Please send a 20 lines summary with photos and other support information to claire@diversitymag.ca
Friends of Diversity: An Albertan that has made significant strives in fostering diversity and inclusion in any sector in Alberta.
Please send a 20 lines summary with photos and other support information to claire@diversitymag.ca
The Peace and Friendship Awards, (Individual or Organization): Canada is a nation that has been built upon the foundation of Peace and Friendship treaties between Indigenous Nations and the Crown of Canada. These living treaties bind our country from sea to sea to sea and have contributed to the very nature of the Canadian identity. The spirit of these treaties is to ensure that Indigenous nations and newcomers endeavour to live peacefully, build and maintain good relations, mutually benefit from the land and her bounty, respect each other, share and learn from each other’s gifts, and to prosper. It¹s all about relationships.
Criteria: This annual award is given by the Indigenous community to a non-Indigenous person and an organization. It recognizes outstanding community work, volunteerism, relationship development, shared programming, and consistent efforts of support to build and maintain good relations with the Indigenous community.
Please send a 20 lines summary with photos and other support information to claire@diversitymag.ca
Support Diversity Awards 2018 by becoming a sponsor
Level 1 Sponsorship – $500
Organization or individual will get their name or logo on all promo material for the show, sponsorship acknowledges at the beginning and end of the show.
Level 2 Sponsorship – $1,000 per month
Organization or individual will get their name or logo on all promo material for the show, sponsorship acknowledge at the beginning and end of the show, as well as a brief profile of the organization on the Diversity Magazine Print and all other Diversity platforms, as well as, bring greetings to the award participants on the day of the award.
