Each issue Foundation Magazine provides a mini-profile of five people whose work and commitment make Canada a more liveable country. We thank them for their service.
Sylvia Braithwaite is the Director of Shelters and Women’s 24 Hour Drop-in Services at Fred Victor. She says it’s within this context that the homelessness support sector now works to manage the pandemic. She says factors such as lack of food and unbalanced diet, limited access to clean facilities and underlying health conditions, all greatly contribute to the vulnerability of over 9,000 homeless individuals across the city. “For people experiencing homelessness, there’s no option to stay at home and self-isolate. Your options are to sleep rough outdoors, or to enter a shelter with other people,” she said. “The unfortunate reality is the risk of exposure is heightened in places like shelters, drop-ins, and respites because there are more people in these spaces – though we understand how critical these services are for people who are experiencing homelessness and who have nowhere else to turn.” (courtesy of blogTO)
Eric Richer is Director, National Search and Rescue Secretariat at Public Safety Canada. The number of people with dementia who go missing is steadily increasing across the country and delays in locating them can result in tragic outcomes. Canada has one of the world’s largest and most difficult areas for search and rescue (SAR), conducted over varied and often austere terrain, in extreme weather and in areas with low population density. The SAR system draws on the resources and expertise of partners at all levels of government, Indigenous communities, volunteers and the private sector to respond to people who are lost, missing or in distress. Public Safety’s work is an important part the Government’s fundamental responsibility for the safety and security of its citizens.
Louie Porta is the Executive Director of Oceans North. With extensive experience living in, working in and exploring Arctic Canada, he oversees projects related to marine conservation, oil and gas, Arctic shipping, indigenous protected areas, coastal stewardship, and plastics. He was appointed to serve on Canada’s National Advisory Panel—charged with recommending how Canada can meet its international conservation obligations. Louie is also an adviser to the Students on Ice Foundation, is a senior associate for the International Institute for Sustainable Development, serves on the governing council of the Ocean Tracking Network and sits on the research oversight committee for Genome Canada’s investigation into oil spill countermeasures for the Arctic. His work includes the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz (July 29 to August 7) invites community scientists from across North America to come together with the shared goal of helping to protect and conserve the beloved and emblematic monarch butterfly. Data collected by volunteers each year support trinational efforts to better understand the monarch butterfly’s breeding productivity, range, and timing in North America.
Brooklyn Shewaybick, 12, is from Webequie First Nation, a fly-in only community in Northern Ontario. She is one of the recipients of DAREarts’ annual RISE 2022 Youth Leadership Awards. For the past 20 years youth from DAREarts, a not-for-profit that provides leadership development opportunities to children and youth in underserved communities, have been identified from programs across the country for creating positive change in their own lives and in their communities to be celebrated for their incredible contributions, commitment, and creativity. Brooke enjoys camping, singing and playing sports like hockey and basketball. Being a leader to Brooke means being a great example to her friends and to encourage them to make positive decisions in school, at home and in their community. DAREarts programming helped Brooke boost her self-esteem when she practiced dance and learned to perform a routine. She has shared that she is grateful for the opportunity to learn and become the best person she can be to create positive impact.
Tammy Suitor, Canadian Disaster Relief Manager for Smaratin’s Purse, says one of the tasks they will perform is ash sifting. Crews sift through the remains of a home, looking for anything the home owner may hold dear. “We’ve got 100 volunteers across Canada that work with us regularly. They would come in and they would lead the teams…that would sift through the ashes to help homeowners find things that may be left over from the fire,” said Suitor, noting last week in Lytton, a cookbook from the homeowner’s grandmother was found. “Lots of people think it was such an intense fire nothing will be left, but it’s amazing, fires burn very differently and so how things fall and how things come down, sometimes those things can be preserved,” she said. Samaritan’s Purse will be in the Okanagan until the end of the month, and possibly longer. Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian relief and development organization that takes its name from Jesus Christ’s biblical story of the Good Samaritan.
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