Reconciliation Through Justice

Event Details

Registration for this event is now closed. Please phone 780-459-5511 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm (weekdays) if you have questions.

We welcome elders Fred and Melanie Campiou & Sr. Bonnie Chesser on Thursday evening, February 16 at 7:00 pm MT to speak to us on the issues surrounding water. Join us either in-person or online. Donations welcome. 

Melanie Dreaver-Campiou is from Treaty 6 territory in Big River First Nation, Saskatchewan. She was raised by her parents who have greatly influenced her moral, cultural, and spiritual beliefs. Melanie’s early education consisted of Indigenous teachings and Indigenous law, but she also endeavoured and dedicated herself to learning within the western education system and she graduated with bachelor’s degree in Native Studies from University of Saskatchewan. 

Melanie dedicated many years of her life working within the judicial system and with Indigenous inmates. She is a strong advocate for justice for Indigenous inmates, their empowerment and healing. She has worked in the following facilities: Saskatchewan Penitentiary, Edmonton Institution for Women, Regional Psychiatric Center, Stan Daniels Healing Center and Buffalo Sage Wellness House. Melanie has worked very hard and has endless hours to create safe spaces for Indigenous inmates and to provide support as an elder, to heal and come to terms with their intergenerational trauma.

Today, Melanie works with children in care. She provides support as an elder to the children in care by introducing Indigenous culture and Native Spirituality. She has utilized Indigenous culture to help shape Indigenous children’s identity. As she would to her own children and grandchildren. Melanie is a proud mother and a grandmother.

---

Fred Campiou is an elder from Driftpile First Nation in Treaty 8 territory. Fred was raised by his maternal grandparents. His most influential teachers and mentors were his grandfather, mother (Rose Auger), and William Dreaver who all have influenced his spiritual and ceremonial teachings, morals, and values.

Today Fred carries several spiritual ceremonial lodges such as Sioux Yuipi ceremony, Sundance ceremony, Horse Dance lodge, Cree sweat lodge, and Buffalo Robe healing ceremony with Women’s teachings.

Fred is the carrier of the Purple Spirit bundle. He holds these ancient ceremonies for the purpose of teaching, healing, and empowerment. He is knowledgeable about his own Cree/Algonquin lineage as well as the treaty between the Crown and the First Nation People.

---

Sister Bonnie Chesser was raised in a small mining town outside Sudbury in Northern Ontario. She witnessed the devastation to the environment due to the effect of logging and mining. She also is proud of the recovery of the land that has been achieved in the last 40 years, for which Sudbury won 14 national and international awards for its re-greening project, planting 9.3 million trees.

Sr. Bonnie attended a nine-month Internship at Caron Family Services, a treatment center for Adult Children of Alcoholics, and introduced this program to many throughout Northern Ontario. She graduated with a Master’s in Theological Studies from St. Stephen’s College in Edmonton. She worked for many years in the field of substance abuse. She is presently on the Leadership Team of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie, acting as the Community Liaison for the Blue Community.

Register

The deadline has passed for this event and is not available for registration. Please call to register.

Schedule