(Ottawa, ON) October 21, 2021 – On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, host Gordon Spence, is joined by Michelle Mainville. Michelle and Gordon sat down the day before Orange Shirt Day, to discuss Michelle’s life and healing journey. Michelle is a mother, a youth addictions counsellor, survivor of the Sixties Scoop, survivor of human trafficking and an intergenerational survivor of the Residential School System. Michelle is candid about her life’s journey and the hardships she has experienced. In this important episode, Michelle speaks about the loss of her daughter at the hands of human traffickers. To listen, visit https://bit.ly/rootsnhoots

***Listeners may find this episode particularly difficult to listen to as it deals with the dark reality surrounding violence against Indigenous women in Canada and the trauma that is felt through generations as a result of the abuses suffered from the Residential School System. This episode deals with talk of suicide, physical abuse, sexual abuse and drug abuse, among other difficult topics.***

Both of Michelle’s parents were survivors of the Residential School System. Michelle’s parents were Ojibwe and her mother, a fluent speaker of the language. Due to an inability to parent from the trauma experienced in Residential School, Michelle was placed in foster homes in Kenora from the ages of 1 to 5. She does not remember much from these early years but shares how her Band stopped an adoption that would have taken her out of the country to the United States.From the ages of 12 until 21, Michelle was a victim of sexual abuse and of human trafficking. As a young woman in Winnipeg, Michelle began working with gangs, using drugs to numb the pain of her experience. When she could no longer face the darkness surrounding her, she knew she had to make a change. Michelle hitchhiked out of town and went to see her sister in Thunder Bay. In Thunder Bay, Michelle seeked treatment and found the pathway towards taking care of herself by going to an Indigenous treatment center and by participating in ceremonies.

In April 2013, Michelle’s daughter Cheyenne was killed by her traffickers in Toronto. Cheyenne’s death was ruled undetermined despite the details surrounding the night. Michelle says that her family will never receive justice nor the truth from police officials. The loss of a child is unimaginable and Michelle’s strength and resilience in telling her daughter’s story is a testament to the devotion she has to her daughter’s memory and to her work as a youth addictions counsellor in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Michelle says it is healing to share and if her story can help reach 1 young boy or girl to make a difference in their life, then it is worth it. Michelle sees youth as the future leaders. On the path of Reconciliation, Michelle sees that focus should be on the youth, on the truth that can no longer be hidden, on addressing homelessness and addictions amongst the Indigenous population, and to stop the transferring of intergenerational trauma, to begin the important work of healing.

The LHF has been in operation for more than 21 years as a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential School System, Sixties Scoop, Day Schools and other colonial acts of oppression on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Peoples.

The LHF has 25 exhibitions that are available for loan for free. One exhibition, Escaping Residential Schools: Running for their Lives, is now available through an animated virtual video, along with the Survivors’ Oral Testimonies. The exhibition examines the experience of Survivors of the Residential School System and raises awareness on the impacts it has on our communities. For more information on the project, please visit: https://legacyofhope.ca/project/escapingrs/ The LHF is working on making its other exhibitions also available online.

The LHF also has curriculum from K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops and Training, and Podcasts all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Day Schools. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate racism and foster Reconciliation in Canada.

To purchase any resource, or an Orange T-Shirt or to donate to the LHF, or for more information about the LHF visit the website at www.legacyofhope.ca. Our charitable# is 863471520RR0001.