Heart and Vision Award Recipients

Council's 9th annual Heart & Vision Awards concert on May 15 was an unforgettable evening focused on reconciliation between First Nations and Canadians of settler heritage. Dr. Cindy Blackstock and the Very Rev. Stan McKay were honoured for their advocacy for First Nations peoples and the concert raised over $9,000 for Council's Community Relief Fund. Watch our youtube channel to see the full length award acceptance speeches.

Dr. Cindy Blackstock

"Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, and Professor, School of Social Work, McGill University

A member of the Gitksan First Nation, Cindy has 25 years of social work experience in child protection and Indigenous children’s rights. 

Her promotion of culturally based equity for First Nations children and families and engaging children in reconciliation has been recognized by the Nobel Women’s Initiative, the Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, Frontline Defenders and many others." - First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Cananda

Rev. Dr. Stan McKay

"Stan McKay, a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba, is a spiritual leader, teacher, and activist. In 1971, he was ordained by the United Church, and between 1992 and 1994, he served as its first Aboriginal moderator. Stan is the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, and he has honorary doctorates conferred by the University of Waterloo, and Winnipeg, and United Theological College of McGill University. He was director of the Dr. Jessie Saulteaux Resource Centre in Beausejour, Manitoba, a theological school that respects both Christian and Aboriginal spiritual traditions. Along with fellow members of the National Native Council of the United Church, Stan successfully advocated for the Church’s apology, issued in 1986, for its role in cultural oppression of First Nations peoples." - speakingmytruth.ca