The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund
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Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
    • Our Partners
    • Secret Path
    • FAQs
    • Careers
  • Programs
    • Legacy Schools Program
      • Legacy Schools Resources
      • Legacy School reconciliACTIONs
      • Register your School
      • Subscribe to Legacy Schools Newsletter
      • Update Educator Contact Information
    • Artist Ambassador Program
    • Youth Ambassador Program
    • Legacy Spaces Program
    • ReconciliACTIONs
  • Events
    • Event Calendar
    • DWF Live
    • Secret Path Week
    • Walk for Wenjack
    • Indigenous History Month 2022
    • National Indigenous Peoples Day 2022
    • National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
      • Discussion: what this means for reconciliation in Canada
    • A Day to Listen
    • A Day for Truth and Reconciliation
    • Secret Path Live
  • News & Publications
    • Blog
    • DWF In The News
    • 215 Pledge
    • Annual Report
    • Subscribe
  • Support Us
    • Case for Support
    • Donate
    • Third-Party Fundraisers
    • Fundraising FAQ
  • Contact Us

Our Team

DWF is an Indigenous-led organization with a core team of individuals who are committed to moving our mission forward.

We are located on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We acknowledge that the area is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

Board of Directors

We are governed by a Board of Directors made up of outstanding professional Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders. We’re honoured to have a diverse and talented group who collectively guide us to ensure the journey continues towards supporting a stronger Canada.

Mike Downie

Mike Downie

Downie Family Member
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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Mike Downie, and his late brother Gord, founded the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) in collaboration with the Wenjack Family. He is the co-creator and documentary director of “Secret Path” the multi-media project that tells the story of Chanie Wenjack, the 12-year-old Ojibway boy who ran away from his residential school in 1966 and attempted to walk home to Ogoki Post – 600 kms away. Mike is a multi- award winning documentary filmmaker. Before his career in film and television, Mike worked as a deep shaft miner in Northern Ontario, a medical researcher at McGill University, a junior economist in Toronto and a windsurfing instructor in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mike has a Bachelor of Science degree from Queen’s University and a MBA from Schulich School of Business at York University.

Harriet Visitor

Harriet Visitor

Wenjack Family Member, First Nations
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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Harriet Visitor is an experienced educator and community leader continuously striving to improve outcomes for youth. Harriet has over 30 years of experience working in and advocating with and for First Nations communities in education and social development. She has worked in the federal, provincial, and private school systems in Canada, and has been a leader in the development of the Secret Path curriculum that is to be distributed nationally this fall. Harriet is a natural leader and advocate and provides incredible guidance to the DWF Board as the representative from the Wenjack family.

Robert Watts

Robert Watts

Mohawk and Ojibway, Six Nations
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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Robert (Bob) Watts is a much sought-after expert in Indigenous policy, negotiations, training, and conflict resolution. He is the former Interim Executive Director of the Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which examined and made recommendations regarding the Indian Residential School era and its legacy. Bob led the process, supported by an excellent team and many organizations from across Canada and internationally, to create the policies and processes in order to firmly establish the Commission. 

Bob also served as the Chief of Staff to the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Phil Fontaine, where he was a member of the team that negotiated the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the largest class action settlement in Canada’s history. 

His public service includes Assistant Deputy Minister for the Government of Canada and Senior Executive in Ontario. Bob is a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and Fellow at the Harvard Law School where he researched and lectured on the role culture plays in conflict. Bob has had the benefit of excellent Indigenous mentorship and western learning which allows him to work well in both worlds. Some of his Indigenous learning has focused on medicine plants, traditional songs, traditional environmental knowledge and leadership. Bob has led the negotiations of co-management agreements, helped build strong corporate partnerships and has lead processes focused on strategic plans and community development. 

In 2019 Bob served as Chief of Staff to National Chief Perry Bellegarde and played a key role in historic budget allocations and the passage of Bills C-91 and 92.  Currently, Bob is the Vice President of Indigenous Relations at the NWMO and an Adjunct Professor and Distinguished Fellow at Queen’s University, Kingston Ontario where he developed one the first graduate level courses on Reconciliation in the country. 

Bob is a Board Member with the Consensus Building Institute, Cambridge MA and with the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council.  He is also the Chair of the Downie-Wenjack Fund and Chair of Reconciliation Canada.   Bob is a recipient of the Indspire Award for Public Service and recently received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from McMaster University. He has taught, debated, and lectured at a number of universities in Canada and the United States. 

He is from the Mohawk and Ojibway Nations and resides at Six Nations Reserve, Ontario. Bob carries and honours his Ojibwe Spirit Name, Kinoozishingwak (Tall Pine) and is a member of the Bear Clan. 

Kory Wilson

Kory Wilson

First Nations
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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Kory Wilson, BSc. JD, is the Executive Director of Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships for British Columbia Institute of Technology. Kory is Kwakwaka’wakw. Kory is Chair of the National Indigenous Education Committee of Colleges and Institutions Canada and she has over 20 years of experience in post-secondary education, community development, and the legal profession. She has a deep commitment to education and has dedicated her working life to ensuring that under-represented learners succeed, both within learning institutions and the larger community. Good governance and supporting communities to move towards self-government is a passion. Innovative and creative solutions are needed to move Reconciliation into reconciliACTION. Education is the key and access to knowledge is vital to move everyone forward.

Hillary Thatcher

Hillary Thatcher

Métis
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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Hillary Thatcher is Senior Director, Project Development, Indigenous Infrastructure at Canada Infrastructure Bank/La Banque de l’infrastructure du Canada. Hillary leads the CIB’s Indigenous relationships and opportunities to engage with Indigenous communities. She is part of the team offering advice and making investments consistent in CIB’s priority initiatives. Previously Director General of Innovation and Services at Indigenous Services Canada, Hillary spent 15 years with the Ontario government in senior roles across Indigenous Affairs, Energy and Infrastructure, and Natural Resources. Hillary has a proven track record of building linkages among government, industry, and Indigenous interests. 

Hillary is Métis and has been an active member of the urban Indigenous community of Toronto through her volunteer roles at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, Red Sky Performance, and the Downie Wenjak Fund.Hillary graduated from Concordia University in Montreal and the University of Victoria. 

Killulark Arngna’naaq

Killulark Arngna’naaq

Inuit, Qamani’tuaq
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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Killulark Arngna’naaq is an Inuk originally from the community of Qamani’tuaq, Kivalliq region, Nunavut but living in Denendeh and parts of Ontario. Killulark holds a BBA from Trent University, an MMPA from the University of Toronto and is a CPA, CA. Killulark is currently MakeWay’s Northern Program Manager working on all northern programs for MakeWay. 

Stuart Coxe

Stuart Coxe

Secretary, Ally
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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Stuart has been a journalist, producer, and filmmaker for over 30 years. He started his career doing feature documentaries in Iraq after the first Gulf War and then spent more than 20 years at CBC TV News, ending his time there as the executive producer of the National. For the past 10 years he and his company, Antica Productions, have produced a wide slate of projects – from starting “Dragons’ Den” and “Shark Tank” in reality TV to his more recent work with Mike and Gord Downie on “Secret Path”. 

His work has received multiple awards and nominations ranging from the Donald Brittain Award for best Canadian social political documentary, to the best new format at MIP (France), International Emmy for the best reality show, best of Commonwealth, and the Red Cross Prize from the Monaco Film Festival. He also founded the Antica Podcast network, Canada’s largest private distributor and producer of podcasts, which was recently acquired by eOne. Recent projects include Tanya Talaga’s “7 Truths” (Audible) and “Spirit to Soar” (CBC); Melissa Fung’s “Captive” (TVO); and podcasts with Will.I.am, Emmanuel Acho, Michelle Romanow, and Meredith Erickson.

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Cree, Piapot First Nation
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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Since her groundbreaking debut, 1964’s It’s My Way!, the Cree singer-songwriter has been a trailblazer and a tireless advocate, an innovative artist, and a disruptor of the status quo. Sainte-Marie has spent her whole life creating, and her artistry, humanitarian efforts, and Indigenous leadership have made her a unique force in the music industry. In 1969, she made the world’s first electronic vocal album; in 1982 she became the only Indigenous person to win an Oscar; she spent five years on Sesame Street where she became the first woman to breastfeed on national television. She’s been blacklisted and silenced. She’s written pop standards sung and recorded by Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Donovan, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. She penned “Universal Soldier,” the definitive anti-war anthem of the 20th century. She is an icon who keeps one foot firmly planted on both sides of the North American border, in the unsurrendered territories that comprise Canada and the USA. 

Dr. Alika Lafontaine

Dr. Alika Lafontaine

BSC, MD, FRCPC, First Nations
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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Dr. Alika Lafontaine is an award-winning physician, speaker, alignment consultant, and the first Indigenous physician listed by the Medical Post as one of Canada’s 50 Most Powerful Doctors.  He is a recognized expert on Indigenous health systems and health policy, institutional bias, racism and reflective practice.  For three years, he led the Indigenous Health Alliance project whose mission was to establish health transformation within Indigenous health systems, led politically by Indigenous leadership representing more than 150 First Nations across three Provinces.  In 2018, $68 million of federal funding was committed towards health transformation within these Indigenous Territorial regions.

Dr. Lafontaine has been a northern representative to the Alberta Medical Association since 2011 and has held various leadership positions within the Alberta Medical Association and Canadian Medical Association.  He Chairs the Governance committee of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, is a board member of HealthCareCAN and is a past president of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada.  He is a council member-at-large with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Chair of the Regional Advisory Committee Region 1 and is a past member of the Indigenous Health Advisory Committee.

Dr. Lafontaine also holds operational roles with Alberta Health Services and is Medical Director of the Northern Indigenous Health Program.

He lives in Grande Prairie, AB with his family and continues to practice full-time as an Anesthesiologist.

Sarah Midanik

Sarah Midanik

President & CEO of DWF, Métis
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

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Sarah Midanik is an Indigenous professional who is passionate about increasing capacity and social impact within the Indigenous community. Born and raised in Alberta, she is a proud member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. Sarah is currently the President & CEO of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, a national charity that seeks to improve the relationship between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Canadians. Sarah is the former Executive Director of the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT), a charity dedicated to providing resources and support to urban Indigenous women and their families. Prior to NWRCT, Sarah was a fundraiser at Indspire, a national charity working to advance education outcomes for First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students. She was also responsible for managing a national mentorship program for Indigenous post-secondary students.

Sarah is committed to advancing Indigenous programs and projects and has sat on many advisory councils including the Aboriginal Professionals Association of Canada, the Aboriginal advisory counsel for the City of Toronto, the Toronto Indigenous Health Advisory Circle, and the Toronto Police Service. A dedicated volunteer, Sarah also sits on the national board for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and was the Co-Chair of the Indigenous Place Making Council, which seeks to restore Indigenous presence to Canadian places and spaces.

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The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

Registered Charity Number: 784055915RR0001

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About DWF

Inspired by Chanie’s story and Gord’s call to build a better Canada, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Our goal is to improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education, and connections between all peoples in Canada.

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Get In Touch

Phone:  1-844-944-4545

E-mail: staff@downiewenjack.ca

Address:
PO BOX 749
OHSWEKEN, ON
N0A1M0

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