Latest news with #CanadianMuseumforHumanRights
Winnipeg Free Press
30-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Free CMHR admission for wildfire evacuees
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is offering free admission to wildfire evacuees starting Friday. 'In moments of great difficulty, we have an opportunity to be there for each other. That's why we're taking the step of offering free admission for wildfire evacuees,' CMHR CEO Isha Khan said in a news release. 'As folks come to Winnipeg, and are staying in temporary shelters or with family or friends, we hope this can provide a good way to take their mind off things as they wait to hear news of their homes and communities.' The museum is always free for all Indigenous visitors, and for all visitors on the first Sunday of every month, including this Sunday.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Exhibition Brings Stories of Queer Courage and Resistance to Washington
Love in a Dangerous Time: Canada's LGBT Purge pop-up opens today at the Embassy of Canada Art Gallery for WorldPride Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - May 27, 2025) - An exhibition from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) on Canada's LGBT Purge opens today at the Canadian Embassy Art Gallery in Washington, D.C. The pop-up exhibition is on display as part of WorldPride, an annual event that promotes visibility and awareness of 2SLGBTQI+ issues on an international level. Love in a Dangerous Time pop-up exhibition To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: Love in a Dangerous Time: Canada's LGBT Purge shares the harassment and firing of 2SLGBTQI+ members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and federal public service workers from the 1950s to 1990s. This well-documented but not well-known piece of history became known as the LGBT Purge. "The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, as well as all of our exhibitions and programming, are grounded in the belief that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights," said Isha Khan, CMHR CEO. "Our collective responsibility is to ensure those rights are protected and upheld for everyone." The pop-up exhibition and a full-scale version were developed through a partnership between the LGBT Purge Fund and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The powerful exhibition shares this painful chapter of Canada's history while celebrating the courage and resilience of those who fought for justice, and whose activism led to lasting legal and social change. "This exhibition shines a light on the baseless and tragic pursuit of 2SLGBTQI+ people who sought to serve their country," said Michelle Douglas, survivor and executive director of the LGBT Purge Fund. "It reveals important lessons for today and strives to leave visitors with a sense of the resilience of those who experienced the Purge. We also hope this exhibition will give people pause and not allow history to repeat itself." The 500-square-foot pop-up exhibition is one component of the partnership between the CMHR and the LGBT Purge Fund that also includes a full-scale exhibition currently on display at the CMHR in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Both the pop-up and the full exhibition will continue travelling and sharing these important stories. The Embassy of Canada Art Gallery, located at 501 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. in Washington, is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free of charge. -30- Media contact: Amanda Gaudes Media Relations Specialist, CMHR Cell: (204) 299-0303 About the Canadian Museum for Human Rights The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights. Canada's only national museum in Western Canada, the CMHR is situated on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the heart of the continent. Its mandate is to explore human rights in Canada and beyond, to enhance the public's understanding of human rights, promote respect for others, and encourage reflection and dialogue. Its vision is to create a world where everyone values human rights and takes responsibility for promoting respect and dignity for all. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: About the LGBT Purge From the 1950s to the 1990s, the Government of Canada systematically investigated, harassed and fired 2SLGBTQI+ members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP and the federal public service - over 9,000 of them. Now called "the LGBT Purge," this official policy destroyed thousands of careers, did untold psychological damage and ruined lives. It was one of the longest-running, largest-scale violations of human rights in any workplace in Canadian history. In 1992, a landmark legal challenge to the military's discriminatory policies against LGBT service members formally ended the Purge. A class action lawsuit in 2018 led to justice for hundreds of Purge survivors, including a $145 million settlement and an official apology from the Government of Canada. The class action legal settlement included funds for legacy projects, including this pop-up exhibition, to honour survivors of the Purge as well as those who did not live long enough to receive compensation. To view the source version of this press release, please visit Sign in to access your portfolio
Winnipeg Free Press
22-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba review finds widespread dissatisfaction with reading instruction
Manitoba's early 'Right to Read' findings suggest a majority of teachers do not think schools are generally using effective methods to teach students to read. The Manitoba Human Rights Commission hosted a long-awaited public townhall in downtown Winnipeg on Wednesday as part of its deep-dive into issues affecting students with reading disabilities. Executive director Karen Sharma spoke at length about what her team has heard to date about instructional approaches, screening tools to identify struggling readers, and interventions — or the lack thereof. 'We commonly heard that… the approach currently used in Manitoba schools is not effective in teaching students to read,' Sharma told a crowd of approximately 75 at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Her team conducted comprehensive online surveys in the spring of 2023. The release of those results, as well as ongoing public and stakeholder consultations, have repeatedly been delayed. The commission has cited a busier-than-usual litigation workload since it announced the project during Dyslexia Awareness Month in October 2022. At the time, it planned to draft recommendations for the provincial government by the end of 2023. Sharma said Wednesday the project is now a top priority and she and her co-lead, Megan Fultz, plan to finalize a report later this year. A total of 93 students, 315 parents, guardians and other family members, and 283 teachers and school administrators have participated in different polls tailored to their specific identity. Seven in 10 school employees indicated either 'whole language' or 'balanced literacy' philosophies, often grouped together due to their overlapping ideas about the importance of using context clues to guess unknown words, is used most often to teach reading locally. (Reading Recovery, a popular program in Manitoba that introduces struggling readers to levelled books that are grouped by complexity and become increasingly more difficult as students progress through them, falls into this group.) Nine per cent said 'structured literacy' — explicit, cumulative and systematic instruction about the relationship between sounds and letters — was the most common approach. The remaining either did not know or cited 'other.' Asked about their thoughts on the status quo's results, about 60 per cent of teachers and administrators indicated it is not working. Parents were asked the same two questions in their survey. Their answers mirrored educators' ones, with more than half of participants frustrated by existing practises. The findings echo Ontario's groundbreaking 2019 Right to Read report that concluded its schools were not using evidence-based approaches that incorporated phonics into reading instruction. Manitoba's project is a spinoff of Ontario's inquiry. Holly Cebrij and her 11-year-old drove to Winnipeg from Portage la Prairie on Wednesday to weigh in. 'I don't like school one bit,' said Alyssa, who attends a public elementary school located about 85 kilometres east of Winnipeg. Cebrij said she's accepted that her youngest daughter will always have a complex relationship with school and require extra support, owing to her late diagnosis of dyslexia. Following years of unsuccessful requests for a school-based assessment to find out why Alyssa was struggling so much more than her older sister and peers in kindergarten through Grade 4, the family paid for a $3,000 private assessment. They recently got their answers: dyslexia and ADHD. 'She missed the prime years of instruction. She's in Grade 6 now. How do you catch up?' Cebrij said, adding she has taught herself — a non-teacher — how to teach basic letter-sound associations and pronunciations to help her youngest learn to read outside school hours. The duo was presented with data and numerous anecdotes during the townhall that indicated their experience is far from unique. Many participants shared their frustration about schools being unresponsive to their children's needs and the related fallout on their children's mental health and confidence. Some described the hefty price tag associated with finding help externally, be it via tutoring, psychologists, private schools or otherwise. Meantime, teacher-attendees described limited formal training and support to better help struggling students. The commission's two final public consultations on reading education are scheduled for June 10 (online) and June 12 in Thompson. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
13-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Marchers demand attention on missing, murdered Indigenous males
More than 100 people took to the streets seeking justice for missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys and more support for their loved ones Tuesday. Participants — many of whom are mothers, daughters and sisters of missing and slain men — held photos of family members and friends. They began the march at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and ended on the steps of the legislative building, where water and food was handed out and speeches were held. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Manitoba had the highest Indigenous homicide rate in 2024, as per Statistics Canada. Organizer Corinne Chief, whose brother, Felix Bernard Chief, was killed in a violent assault in Winnipeg in 2021, wants to see the walk become an annual gathering and national day in honour of missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys. 'We need to come together and get those same supports and services, resources, that our missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit and gender-diverse (people) get… because their lives matter too,' Chief said. Her brother's killers were convicted — Chief describes them as Indigenous, under 30 years old, and victims of inter-generational trauma — but she said their sentences were short and one is already out on parole. Chief said many of the people who came out Tuesday were similarly seeking closure they haven't been able to find. 'I didn't receive it,' she said. 'I had the anger, the frustration.' A 2024 Stats Canada report on Indigenous victims of homicide, which used 2022 data, found that Indigenous people accounted for 27 per cent of homicides where identity information was available. Men outnumber women, unless the victim was considered a missing person at the time of their death. Two-thirds of Indigenous homicide victims who were considered missing at the time of death were women. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Participants, many of whom are mothers, daughters and sisters of missing and slain men, marched from the Canadian Museum of Human Rights to the legislative building. At the time of the report, Manitoba had the highest Indigenous homicide rate per 100,000 people in the country. Glennis Bird, a member of Peguis First Nation, told the crowd her family faced cruelty and indifference by the justice system when her brother, John Andrew Bird, went missing in 1998. '(Police) said, 'You know, he'll come home when he's done partying, when he sobers up.' I was so upset, my mom had to calm me down, because that wasn't our family, that wasn't our truth… So we did what so many Indigenous families are forced to do — we became the search party,' she said. Her brother, whom she described as laid-back and adventurous, was found dead in the Red River in March 1999. She wants men and boys to be a greater part of the conversation about violence against Indigenous people. 'He was someone special, and he is someone worth remembering, like all the other brothers, sons, uncle, cousins and grandsons. We must say their names too,' she said. 'We must honour them when we speak of the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples across Canada.' Marches focusing on men, boys and gender-diverse people have grown quickly in recent years across Canada. In 2023, Edmonton advocates created 'Blue Jean Jacket Day,' an annual event focused on honouring Indigenous men and boys. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Some advocates are calling for an annual day of recognition for the families of missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys. On Wednesday, the wife of a man who was slain last year will hold an event of her own. Taylor Kowalenko-Caribou, whose fiancé Leo Caribou died in hospital after he was found unresponsive from an apparent assault near Notre Dame Avenue and Isabel Street on May 14, 2024, plans to hold a vigil at the site to mark the one-year anniversary of his death. 'It's hard to grieve and get closure when you don't even know what happened,' she said. 'We live our lives every day, feeling his loss and going without him, when the people who did it are walking out there, living their best lives.' Kowalenko-Caribou, 24, said she and Caribou's family have yet to receive detailed updates on the Winnipeg Police Service homicide investigation since shortly after his death at age 23. No arrests have been made. She attended the Tuesday march. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. She said her vigil is to call for police to put more effort into solving her fiancé's death, as well as other cases of missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys. 'I'm all about advocating not just for Leo, but all of the missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys that don't receive as much attention as women and girls,' said Kowalenko-Caribou. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS More than 100 people joined Tuesday's march through downtown Winnipeg. Police have provided no public update on the investigation into Caribou's death since May 2024, but expect to issue a news release on the case Wednesday. Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read full biography Erik PinderaReporter Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
27-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Cousins from Teslin, Yukon heading to Winnipeg after winning award promoting reconciliation
Social Sharing Two cousins from Teslin, Yukon are heading to Winnipeg, Manitoba next month to accept the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's (NCTR) 'Imagine a Canada' award at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. 'Imagine a Canada' is an educational program offered at some schools throughout the Yukon. The program asks students across the country to envision a reconciled Canada and make something that reflects their vision through artwork, an essay, or a community project that promotes reconciliation. Grace McLeod, 12, and Dylan Smarch, 11, are members of the Teslin Tlingit Council, and attend the Khàtìnas.àxh Community School. Their drawing titled 'Imagine a Canada where you can be yourself' was chosen for the award. "Me, and Grace were looking at the human rights contracts," Smarch said. "So me and Grace decided 'let's do where you could be yourself because nobody should be able to tell you what you can or cannot do.'" In theme of reconciliation, the two thought it was important to reflect and honour those who went to residential schools. "It's about residential school and the kids who went there," McLeod said. "It's for the kids who couldn't speak their language and went to those schools. Imagine a Canada where every kid could have a family." This is not the first time the two will be going to Winnipeg to accept this award. McLeod and Smarch also won the award in 2023. "It feels good," McLeod said. "It feels pretty awesome," Smarch said. "Don't ever give up on your goals and dreams. There might be rough spots but remember the big goal." Making their families proud Smarch's mother, Jari Smarch, said the first time they went to Winnipeg the experience was "pretty overwhelming" for the two but this time will be a little different. "They know what to expect," Jari said. "They know they've got to go in front of a bunch of people and say their speech and tell them what their story is about. I think they're way more prepared this time." "You're just overwhelmed with pride when they're up there speaking and telling their story." Grace's father Phillip McLeod said he and his wife are extremely proud of Grace and Dylan and how they're already becoming role models within the community at such a young age. "When they first told me Grace had won I thought 'oh yeah okay I'll go to the school and we'll get the award and they're like no you're getting ready to go to Winnipeg, and I'm like what?!'" McLeod explained while chuckling. "I totally didn't believe it was a Canada wide thing until I started learning about it." McLeod said he never had the chance to travel across Canada before so to be able to see the country with his family, especially for this reason, is a dream come true for him. "You know they're creating a trail for the future generations even though they're young," Phillip said."You know they're showing the younger kids in their school that it is achievable if you put your mind to it and your heart to it you can achieve what you want." The two will be accepting the award on May 23.
