I grew up in the Métis community of St. Laurent, Manitoba, and our family has lived in River Heights for almost 20 years now.  My kids attend the French immersion program at École J.B. Mitchell School and École Secondaire Kelvin High School, and my husband, Christian Wiste, teaches at École J.B. Mitchell School.  One of my favourite parts about being a school trustee over the last four years has been the chance to meet people at parent council meetings, school celebrations, and our divisional advisory council meetings.  I love connecting with people who reach out to me to talk about their priorities and concerns about our schools. 

 

After spending 15 years working in the public sector, I’m now happily self-employed as an economic development consultant.  This gives me a lot of flexibility to fulfill my role as your school trustee and to be available to parents and families in the community.  I also enjoy contributing to our community by volunteering – I’m currently the Chair of the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, board member of the Women’s Health Clinic, member of the Indigenous Policy Committee of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and facilitator for Circles for Reconciliation.  Outside of work and volunteering, I love spending as much time as possible with my kids, attending their busy schedule of activities and enjoying the outdoors. 

 

It has been an honour serving our school community over the past four years during my first term as Trustee for Ward 1 of the Winnipeg School Division.  The public response to Bill 64 was an incredible demonstration of how our community values local representation when it comes to setting the direction of our schools.  It’s important that our education system always reflects the priorities of our families, our schools, and our communities.  I will continue to advocate for strong and stable provincial funding for public schools that avoids cuts to the programs and services that our communities need and value.