Late Metis elder from Saskatchewan honoured with Canada Post stamp
Sophie McDougall, who passed away in 2023, was a teacher from St. Louis, dedicating her life to sharing her knowledge of cultures and language with others.
'She kept us all together,' said the honoree's daughter Peggy Parenteau at the June 17 stamp reveal. 'She taught us so many things. It's hard to believe that she's being honoured today. But she's well-deserved of it. She worked hard all her life.'
McDougall was an elder with the Prince Albert Métis Women's Association (PAMWA) for 20 years, and translated books and written materials into Michif, all while engaging in other projects to preserve the endangered language.
'Working with Sophie was such an honour,' said PAMWA Director Noreen McBride in a speech at the stamp reveal. 'She took immense pride in these books, which were beautifully illustrated by local youth, and she was proud to share them with young people throughout Prince Albert and beyond.'
The stamp was issued June 20, alongside two other stamps honouring Indigenous leaders.
'These honorees are widely loved, respected and admired in their communities across the country,' said Tyler Thomas, Canada Post's director of Indigenous and northern affairs. 'The Métis National Council selected Sophie for the latest stamp.'
McBride used her speech to share more about McDougall's character.
'She was a woman of strength. She was a woman of wisdom. And she was a woman to be remembered,' she said. 'Her legacy lives on through her family, and her contributions to our language.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
29 minutes ago
- CBC
Couple loses home that was going to host their wedding to wildfire
Allison Noonan and Barry Slade will have to move their wedding after they lost their home to the Kingston fire in Newfoundland and Labrador
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
North Bay landfill reopens after fire
Officials in North Bay say the Merrick Landfill reopened Tuesday after being closed much of the day after a fire on the tipping face. Officials in North Bay say the Merrick Landfill reopened Tuesday after being closed much of the day after a fire on the tipping face. The site opened at 3 p.m. and will close again at 5 p.m. the city said on social media. Merrick Landfill Officials in North Bay say the Merrick Landfill reopened Tuesday after being closed much of the day after a fire on the tipping face. (Eric Taschner/CTV News) 'Further updates will be provided as they become available.' Merrick3 Officials in North Bay say the Merrick Landfill reopened Tuesday after being closed much of the day after a fire on the tipping face. (Eric Taschner/CTV News) Deputy fire chief Greg Saunders said in an email that firefighters from Station 1 responded at 7 a.m. 'The heaviest fire has been extinguished, but crews will remain on site for much of the day working to make sure that the fire is fully extinguished,' Saunders said.
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
Ambulance shortage in Winnipeg creates dangerous strain on firefighters, public: UFFW
The union representing firefighters says the City of Winnipeg is putting the public at risk through understaffing of emergency responders — with only nine of 19 ambulances operating on Saturday. On top of that, only six of the 11 communications operator shifts — 911 call takers and dispatchers — were filled, said Nick Kasper, president of United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg. "We're talking about only having nine ambulances for a city with over 800,000 people, on a Saturday night. You can do the math — the ambulance response times are significantly delayed," he said. In an emailed statement to CBC News, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service Chief Christian Schmidt acknowledged the "significant number of unplanned absences" and said every effort was made to fill the shifts, but those were unsuccessful. "At any given time, some members will be on vacation, in accordance with WFPS policies and collective agreements. In addition to staff being away on their allotted vacation time, WFPS also receives sick time calls each shift and has members away on long-term leaves," he wrote. The domino effect means the extra weight is carried by fire crews. As part of Winnipeg's integrated model, each fire vehicle has a firefighter-paramedic on board. Backstopping the ambulance shortfall means fire crews attend more medical calls and wait until an ambulance arrives to transport a patient. "And while we're doing so, we're not available for 911 calls in our community, whether those are life-threatening medical emergencies or structure fires," Kasper said. In an industry that measures success or failure in seconds — a fire can double in size every 30-60 seconds — that wait can be tragic, he said, giving the example of a response time of nine minutes and 40 seconds to a house fire in St. Vital on Aug. 10. "The structure was a total loss and both neighbouring homes were damaged," Kasper said. "These are the devastating consequences." The closest fire station was on Dakota Street, about a kilometre away, but there were no trucks available there, so crews had to be called in from stations farther away. The target response time for WFPS is four minutes, but it's been closer to double that since 2021, Kasper said. This summer, there was a 10-minute response time to a house fire in Transcona, while it took nearly 14 minutes to get crews to a house fire in The Maples, he said. "I've never seen anything like that in my 18 years in the service," Kasper said. In the latter incident, the closest available fire truck for a call in the city's northwest corner was downtown. Within the past two months, there have been 15-minute responses to serious medical calls, Kasper said. "That's contributing or resulting in loss of lives." The issue is compounded by insufficient staffing, he said. Firefighters already work overtime to fill those vacancies and are now trying to carry the shortfall for the ambulances. Council has known since a 2009 audit that WFPS staffing is insufficient, Kasper said. There are fewer staff and fire trucks now than in 1975, when the city's population was 570,000, he said. Consequently, UFFW members are experiencing severe burnout, Kasper said. That leads to more staff shortages as members go on leave, exacerbating the vicious cycle that causes physical and psychological injuries. "Starting our shifts 10, 20, 30 and even 40 firefighters short is not unusual," he said. "Time lost due to psychological injury is our fastest-climbing statistic." In 2024, the WFPS lost 17,600 hours to Workers Compensation Board claims for psychological ailments. "I've never, in my 18 years, seen morale this bad," Kasper said. Last year, the city spent more than $10 million on firefighter overtime, which is enough to hire 70 full-time staff, Kasper said. For the first fiscal quarter of 2025, $6.5 million was spent on overtime. "This is not an efficient way to staff a public safety service. Winnipeggers are paying more and they're receiving less," he said. "But [council] seems happy to defend the status quo." In his email, Schmidt said steps are being taken to address the issues. "By the end of 2025, we will have hired more than 50 new firefighters and 25 new paramedics. These new hires replace those lost through attrition, including retirements," he said. In 2024, the province funded 40 new firefighters to coincide with the new WFPS station in Waverley West, he said. But recruitment is an ongoing challenge, as is the increasing volume of calls and risks of burnout, Schmidt said. "This is not an easy career. I want to thank all our members for their continued service to residents." switch to a new priority dispatch system earlier this year, Schmidt said. "This new system aims to ensure those with the most time-dependent emergencies receive care first. Other less time-dependent calls may wait," he said.
