UNews - Métis Nation of Alberta

Hanrahan earns Parkland grant, to study water security in Metis communities

trevor.kenney — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 22:00:36 +0000

For the vast majority of Canadians, the concept of not having readily available drinking water is literally foreign – something only developing countries have to face. Unfortunately, residents of rural and remote communities, many of which are indigenous, face the problem of trying to find potable water every day of their lives.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge professor Dr. Maura Hanrahan has studied this problem and is currently embarking on a research project to examine the state of water security in Métis communities in Alberta. Her work has earned her the support of the Parkland Institute as the recipient of the Parkland Institute/U of L Faculty Research Grant.

Dr. Maura Hanrahan says that residents of rural and remote communities, many of which are indigenous, face the problem of trying to find potable water every day of their lives.

“While the applications were all of a very high standard, Dr. Hanrahan's proposal to study water quality and infrastructure in Alberta’s Métis communities is especially timely,” says Dr. Trevor Harrison, director of the Parkland Institute and a professor in the Department of Sociology. “In Canada’s 150th year, it is crucial to acknowledge the disparities faced by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, and, as with Dr. Hanrahan’s research, to work towards understanding these inequities and finding solutions.”

Hanrahan, a faculty member in the Department of Native American Studies for just over a year, has spent the majority of her professional career working with indigenous organizations. She has spent time on land claims and negotiations, helped develop health policy and as an academic, been at the forefront of research projects. Originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, she has both Irish and Mi’kmaq heritage, making the research that she does that much more personal.

“Most of my career has been responding to community needs because that is a cultural imperative. The academic piece comes out of that and I see research as a very good way to highlight issues, such as drinking water problems, that need to be brought into the open,” she says. “Water security is so basic. The United Nations recognizes it as a human right and yet Canada isn’t living up to its responsibilities in that regard.”

She has worked in communities such as Black Tickle, Labrador, an Inuit community in the Canadian sub-arctic that has no potable piped water. She describes people trying to lead productive lives but having to worry every day about whether they can access water.

“What really bothers me are the mental health implications. In some of these communities, people think about water all the time,” she says. “Water shortages are treated like an emergency when they happen in the south and in urban areas but not in rural and indigenous areas, where they are almost normalized. People are faced with these long-term boil-water orders and they get tired of it, so they begin to take chances with it.”

Her focus on the Métis population in Alberta is unique because there has been no research into the water security issues they face. With Alberta being home to more than 66,000 Métis and the only province with Métis land bases, she says the time is right to investigate their contaminated water and water access problems.

“When I looked in the literature there was absolutely nothing on Métis water security,” she says. “There has been a lot of attention to First Nations and some attention to Inuit, and that’s all good, but we also need to bring Métis into the research.”

Hanrahan’s initial work is a pilot project with Faust, a Métis-majority community near Lesser Slave Lake, with a grant application in the works to expand it to a cross-case analysis involving other sites. She’s thrilled to have the support of the Parkland Institute and to be working in partnership with the Métis Nation of Alberta.

“I’ve found in my year here that the U of L is a very supportive institution and you are given the resources you need to do your job, so the Parkland award was like the icing on the cake,” she says. “I like the work that Parkland does on policy. They’ve given me the chance to expand my research from Labrador to here in Alberta, which is something I really appreciate.”

Creating opportunity

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:52:23 +0000

Christie-Dawn Ladouceur is used to helping people resolve challenges – she works as an employment counsellor – but receiving the inaugural Métis Scholar Graduate Studies scholarship helped her solve a very significant challenge of her own: how to fund the balance of her master's degree studies.

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, officials from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge welcomed members of the Métis Nation of Alberta to campus to jointly announce the creation of a scholarship fund for Métis undergraduate and graduate students, including Ladouceur, who is completing her master's degree in counselling psychology through the U of L's Faculty of Education and Campus Alberta.

The $500,000 gift will be endowed in perpetuity and will, through matching funds, support the creation of a $1 million endowment fund. This will help ensure more students of Métis heritage complete their post-secondary education.

Christie-Dawn Ladouceur (left) and Audrey Poitras, president of the Métis Nation of Alberta, celebrate the creation of a scholarship fund to support graduate and undergraduate Métis students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Originally from the Lac la Biche area in northern Alberta, Ladouceur is now based in Edmonton, and works as a project manager for a not-for-profit Aboriginal organization where she develops employment and education training programs for youth to improve their career and employment prospects.

"I have three more semesters to complete, and this award will ensure that I can focus on my studies and finish my research," says Ladouceur, moved to tears during her comments at the launch event.

Ladouceur is producing a manual that other counsellors can use to properly identify the challenges faced by urban aboriginal youth, and the gaps and barriers in the various counselling models used to support them.

"I am focusing on the differences that are often overlooked by counsellors if they do not accurately understand the culture of a First Nations, Métis or Inuit student. My hope is that counsellors will be able to better identify and assist young people with their needs, and recognize that the different cultures require different approaches."

Ladouceur says that her master's degree will enable her to move forward within a profession she loves, and deal more directly with young people.

There is $25,000 in scholarship funding available this year – six $2,500 awards to undergraduate students and $10,000 awarded to graduate student Ladouceur.

"The Métis Nation of Alberta, through the Métis Education Foundation, has set up nine endowment funds that total more than $13.3 million," says Audrey Poitras, the president of the Métis Nation of Alberta. "These are more than gifts or donations. These endowments are investments in Métis students."

"Education is a necessary tool for Métis people to prosper and grow, and the U of L is committed to ensuring Métis students will have the financial means and the opportunities to achieve success in their education and their lives," says U of L President, Dr. Mike Mahon. "There are approximately 100 Métis students currently enrolled at the U of L. We would like to see this number grow as we continue to increase access and support programs. This gift from the Métis Nation of Alberta is a significant step in that direction."

The inaugural Métis Scholar undergraduate recipients are:

Jared Anderson, (Raymond, Alta.) enrolled in a Bachelor of Science program, Aaron Hamonic, (Lethbridge, Alta.) enrolled in a Bachelor of Health Sciences program, Charlene Lambert, (Lethbridge, Alta.) enrolled in a Pre-Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education program, Jolan Naismith, (Leduc, Alta.) enrolled in a Bachelor of Management program, Nicole Robinson, (Lethbridge, Alta.) enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing program (NESA), Amy Smith, (The Pas, Man.) enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education program.

This story first appeared in the February 2012 edition of The Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - Métis Nation of Alberta

Hanrahan earns Parkland grant, to study water security in Metis communities

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Creating opportunity

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