(Ottawa, ON) – May 24, 2023 – On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Delores Peltier-Corkey. Delores is an Anishinabe Kwe of the Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibway, Odawa, and Pottawatomi Peoples from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on beautiful Manitoulin Island.  Delores comes from a family of eight brothers and three sisters. In this episode, she shares memories from her childhood of picking Sweetgrass and berries, of craft making from birch bark and porcupine quills, of finding sustenance provided by the land, and of growing to understand the importance of it all later in life.

Delores works with Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation as a Tenant Relations Officer. Delores and Gordon once worked together at Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation, and together they discuss the nature of the work and how Ottawa is a hub for many Indigenous Peoples across Canada to move to. Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation serves the Indigenous community in Ottawa and Delores addresses how the lack of availability of housing can make it difficult to provide the support needed and appropriate housing for families, individuals, and Elders. This episode is helpful to understanding the application and approval process for people of Indigenous ancestry to access housing supports. 

Since arriving in Ottawa in 1997, Dolores has been active within the Indigenous community, volunteering her time on various committees and boards such as Minwaashin Lodge and the Odawa Native Friendship Centre. When first moving to Ottawa, Delores began to connect to community through volunteering. She shares her experiences of being welcomed and the importance of being of service. Delores talks about her role in planning the Annual Ottawa Indigenous Children and Youth Pow Wow and the joy that comes from connecting youth with culture.

On the topic of Reconciliation, Delores and Gordon discuss how there is still a long way to go. Some of the work required is on an individual level, but some of it must be done together. Delores sees the importance of sharing skills and talents with one another, because this can be a helpful practice to changing hearts and minds. Understanding that we can impact the lives of those whose paths we cross in life, helps to transform the meaning found in the daily interactions of life.

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 23 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Child Welfare System on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage Canadians to address discrimination and injustice in order to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation.

The LHF has close to 30 educational exhibitions that promote awareness of Indigenous history that are free to borrow and is working on making exhibitions available online. LHF also has curriculum for K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops and Training, 2 Podcast series, all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Child Welfare System, and other colonial acts of oppression.. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate ongoing racism against Indigenous Peoples. 

For media inquiries:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone: 613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca