Ochiese, Kowalchuk among Indspire Awards winners

Sept. 15, 2015. Two people from Alberta have been named among the 2016 Indspire Awards recipients. Winners were announced in Toronto on Tuesday. Chief Jim Ochiese, of the Foothills Ojibway First Nation, has been selected for the Culture, Heritage and Spirituality award, while Christian Kowalchuk, of the Big Stone Cree Nation, was selected for the First Nation youth award. The jury for the Indspire Awards is composed of previous award recipients, representing a range of sectors and regions across the country.

From hundreds of nominations, the jury selects 10 career achievement award recipients, three youth award recipients (First Nation, Inuit and Métis), and one lifetime achievement recipient. “The 2016 Indspire Awards recipients personify the successes Indigenous people have achieved and the significant
impact we have made in all areas of life in Canada,” said Roberta L. Jamieson, President and CEO of Indspire and executive producer of the Indspire Awards. The awards gala will be held in Vancouver on Feb. 12, 2016.