Board of Directors

My spirit names are Lightning Rock Woman and Calls Far Woman. I am from Zagime Anishinabec formerly known as Sakimay First Nation. It is in TREATY 4. My dad is Saulteaux and my mother is Cree from Whitebear F.N. I am proud mother of two, 10 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. I have 4 siblings.

I was diagnosed in March 2005 with HIV. The following year I was hired by Aids Programs South Saskatchewan to be trained as the Needle Exchange Co-ordinator and then Support Person until the end of 2012.

After 2012 I moved to Saskatoon for awhile. I dealt with my addiction issues, when to my fourth and final rehab in 2014. It there I did a lot of work on myself. I returned home to Regina and also was reunited with my son. I was re-hired by APSS to continue to do the Anyone @ Risk Support Group. This group is geared towards anyone living with HIV/Hep.C and addiction issues from 2014-present. I also became a Peer Mentor with the Sask. Health Authority. a participant (Willow Warrior) of the Kotawe Research at All Nations Hope. Last year I was hired as a Wellness Warriour at the Wellness Wheel Medical Clinic & Indigenous Community Research Network. I have done numerous speaking engagements locally and nationally. I have presented at national conferences ex. CATIE,s educational webinar, Preventing the Sexual Transmission of HIV. Local presentations on Harm Reduction with Ranch Erlo. I was part of CATIE/CAAN documentary, Strong Medicine. Locally I am in the documentary Sask Union of Nurses/Making The Difference/On the Frontline of the HIV crisis. I have sat on the Canadian Aids Society Board of Directors, previous CAAN board of director’s, International Community of Women Living with HIV/Aids (ICW-NA), CAAN GIPA Homefire Research Team, Voices of Women, Building More Bridges Research Team, Community Advisory Board(CAB), Stigma Index Research, Recipient of the Sheldon Bowman Memorial Award 2019 and CAAN Legacy Lifetime Award 2019.  Most recently taken on the role of Wellness Warrior in the WW Opioid Stewardship Program where I go and support patients in hospitals.

I do this work from my heart and for my people living with HIV.

Thankyou & HIY HIY

Danita Wahpoosewyan

Gayle Pruden was born in Ashern, Manitoba on May 1, 1964. When she was a little girl she lived with her grandparents in Little, Saskatchewan. She loved her grandparents, and she has fond memories of them.

Gayle speaks Objibwe (Anishinobemowin) fluently and she is proud to speak her language. She believes creator gave her a beautiful gift, her Ojibwe language. She says, “It’s a powerful tool to have your language, speak it as often as you can”.

Gayle was raised in a good living home. She remembers going out on the land with her grandfather. Her grandfather would pick medicines and sing songs. Gayle lived a traditional culture. She remembers her grandmother smudging her underneath the blanket and remembers the smell so well.

Gayle speaks at youth conferences as a two spirited woman. She loves to tell stories to young people to help the cope with challenges in their lives. Gayle is jingle dress dancer for about 20 years, and she loves sharing the information about the story behind her dancing.

Gayle enjoys showing her beadwork to the youth, to inspire them and bring them positive feelings. Gayle is also a knowledge keeper; she shares her knowledge that she received from the grandparents and uses her language in the theatre. Gayle is an actor in a play who uses her Objibwe language. This is awesome!

Gayle works with CAAN as the vice chairperson on the Board of Directors. She also works with Manitoba Moons, Voices of Women and Nine Circle Drumming.

Gayle speaks highly of her grandparents and the wonderful job they did raising her and teaching her to live off the land. She has so much love for her grandparents. They have influenced her to be strong independent person and to be proud of who she is. Gayle is proud to be two spirited Anishobe women and she loves helping the youth. She had adopted her daughter and helped raise her three grand children.

Patti Tait is an Indigenous woman who began working in the helping field more than 35 years ago. She worked and volunteered extensively within federal and provincial prisons counselling and supporting Aboriginal men and women. Patti was a Native Liaison at Prison for Women and various men’s institutions within Ontario region. She has often been called upon as an expert on the issues faced by Indigenous offenders. Patti was a founding staff of the OHAS and served the indigenous men and women who were housed in Ontario Correctional Facilities. She was called upon as an expert on the issue of HIV among incarcerated Indigenous individuals. Patti has been a member the Canadian Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Network (CAAN) and was an original member of the Advisory Council for All Nations Hope AIDS Network. Throughout her career, Patti has been committed to Indigenous people who have come in conflict with the law and to those who are most marginalized by infectious diseases. She is currently working for the Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan as a Acting Executive Director and Cultural Advisor and is a board executive for the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) She is a Regional Advocate for CAEFS, with a specialty grounded in the issues pertaining to culture and spirituality within federal women’s facilities. She does individual counselling and facilitates Cultural programming. She has been a board member for MACSI (Metis Addictions) and is often called upon to share her knowledge regarding Indigenous culture, traditions and trauma within the community. This includes presentations in schools, colleges and at the universities. As a kokum (grandmother), and chapan (great-grandmother), Patti is passionate about the need for Indigenous communities to heal for future generations.

Mathew Fleury is nēhiyawak (Mistawasis Nēhiyawak; Plains Cree) and, as a proud member of one of the founding families of the Métis Nation, he has deep roots in the Red River Valley of Manitoba. Throughout his work, he draws from his lived, academic, and professional experiences in advancing grassroots approaches within research and policy. Mathew is passionate about issues impacting Indigenous Peoples, including substance use and harm reduction, mental health, accessibility, and HIV/AIDS. As an Indigenous Social Worker, community-based researcher, health scientist, and writer with lived experience of HIV and substance use, and as a neurodivergent, queer, and Two-Spirited individual, Mathew recognizes the need to promote the inclusion of those who have also been faced with marginalization. His passion for human rights and culture has earned him a new name, proffered by Elders in his community: Gimewan Niimi/kimiwan onîmihitow (Rain Dancer). Following studies in psychology at Queen’s University, Mathew graduated from Laurentian University’s Indigenous social work program. He then completed studies in molecular, genetic and population health sciences at Edinburgh Medical School (University of Edinburgh) alongside the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre for Population Health Research and Training. Completing a PhD in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, Mathew’s scholarship aims to draw parallels between Indigenous methodologies, queer theory, and ‘hard’ science to examine the scientific and sociopolitical impacts of HIV/AIDS, particularly related to Indigenous Peoples. As the previous Manager of Research and Knowledge Exchange at the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), he oversaw the overall approach, design, and implementation of medium to large-scale research initiatives. He holds significant expertise in best practices around implementing the OCAP® principles; community engagement; anti- racism, and cultural safety and humility; trauma- and violence-informed approaches; Indigenous research methodologies; data analysis and visualization; and knowledge exchange, translation, and mobilization. Mathew is deeply committed to advancing the health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples and seeks to improve health systems by addressing racism and enhancing cultural safety and humility. As the Director of Indigenous Initiatives with Providence Health Care, Mathew works alongside the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, the FNHA, the University of British Columbia (UBC) and other partners. He aims to foster relationships with Indigenous community partners, Knowledge Keepers, health system leaders, researchers, clinicians, and educators in the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and responsiveness. Mathew is also a Research Associate at the BC Centre for Disease Control, an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, as well as an Instructor in the Faculty of Health and Human Services at North Island College and the School of Population and Public Health at UBC. In addition, he is a co-founder of the Naut sa mawt Research Institute of Psychedelic Medicine, a member of the Two-Spirit Dry Lab, and a Consultant with Quintessential Research Group and Changemark Research and Evaluation. In 2023, Vancouver City Council appointed him as a Member of the Urban Indigenous Peoples’ Advisory Committee as well as the 2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Committee.

Qánügv’a BoneCollector aka Edward Wilson