THUNDER BAY – Please let me introduce myself. I am seeking the Provincial NDP nomination in the Thunder Bay-Superior North riding. I was recently approved by the Provincial Secretary and I am now considered a declared candidate for the nomination. As an Aboriginal woman, I want to be your new ‘affirmative action’ FACE for the NDP!
Why am I running for the NDP seat? Well to be perfectly honest, I am following a ‘calling’ I received (in our culture we would refer to it as Spiritual direction). I have been receiving gifts to be a leader and I am doing my best to honour this direction and gifts. A stepping stone to this provincial election was the recent municipal election where I ran for candidate-at-large. I came in 12th out of 19 candidates receiving more than 3,700 votes! I was very pleased as this was my first time out. Now that I have that experience in addition to the NDP team, I know that I can run a successful election campaign.
NDP Nomination Meeting: The Thunder Bay-Superior North Nomination Meeting will be on Saturday, April 2, 2011 in Thunder Bay at the Prince Arthur (and the outlying areas will be April 1, 2011). I am asking you to nominate me for this seat! I hope the following will provide you with a little more information about me ~ the one seeking the NDP nomination.
Getting Ready: On February 12, 2011, I had the extreme pleasure to meet and speak to Jean Crowder at the Ladies of the Left Luncheon at the Prince Arthur. This gave me a great opportunity to meet some of the influential women within our NDP riding. I also had an opportunity to sit at a round table discussion hosted by the university bringing issues first-hand from First Nations communities to Jean Crowder and Bruce Hyer. It was inspirational to meet Jean Crowder, another vital force key to the NDP’s success.
I am registered to attend the NDP Northern Council meeting in Sudbury from March 4 to 6, 2011. I will be there to receive training for the upcoming election and participate in the policy discussions. I am looking forward to meeting more of the NDP team!
For the next 6 weeks, I will be available to meet with individuals or organizations that may want more information about my background or where I stand on specific issues, I am open to these discussions. Please refer to page 3 for my contact info (including a toll free #).
My Goals: The most powerful gift that I carry is empathy (not sympathy). My Spiritual name is ‘Standing Strong’ and I have a STRONG voice. I use it for the people that cannot speak for themselves. I have dedicated my professional, community and personal life to speak to the needs of the people. I need you to help me to do that on a much bigger scale. I want to represent you at the provincial level.
I am committed to bringing jobs to the region. My 3 sons at one time were all living out west trying to pay their bills! I still have one son completing his carpentry apprenticeship out west because it is easier than completing it here at home. There is something not right about that. I would like to encourage the Ring of Fire communities (Matawa First Nation communities) to bring their business to the region of Thunder Bay. I believe I have the experience and the skill set to do this (refer to my business website).
Building Relationships: I have been working for the benefit of Northern Ontario for 25 years. I manage my own business: Cindy Crowe Consulting and have been assisting communities with their discussions with the federal and provincial governments for several years. I am very proud that my daughter Cynthia is now my business partner and works side-by-side with me. We assist non-Aboriginal businesses, government and organizations to work with the Aboriginal community (community engagement and cultural sensitivity). Last year I was honoured by my peers with the PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise ‘Business of the Year Award 2010’. This year I have been nominated within the Private Sector as an ‘Influential Woman of Northern Ontario’. For more information and a copy of my resume, please refer to: www.cindycroweconsulting.ca.
In my community work, I am a lodge keeper of the Waabi-ma’iingan (Grey Wolf) Traditional Teaching Lodge and we celebrated our 4th spring ceremony last year (which means we have come full circle). I consider my skill set to be a ‘bridge’ between the Aboriginal culture and the non-Aboriginal culture and this is my life’s work!
As a traditional Aboriginal woman, I would like to bring some wholistic balance to the region (wholistic spelled this way from the direction of my Elders). We need to take care of our community in a wholistic manner, fostering our cultural and spiritual lives as well as ensuring that infrastructure is in place! I would continue to work at developing partnerships between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community such as our Aboriginal Cultural Centre initiative. The mandate of the Grey Wolf Traditional Teaching Lodge is ‘inclusion’ and this is also a priority for me in our community. For more information, please refer to: www.greywolfteachinglodge.ca.
Family Background: I was born at the St. Joseph’s Hospital in Port Arthur (now a part of Thunder Bay) in 1959 (I will do the math for you ~ I am 51 years YOUNG). My mother’s maternal grandparents migrated from England; grandfather worked at the grain elevators, and they lived their whole lives in Thunder Bay. My mother’s paternal grandparents are from the Ottawa Valley; lived their whole lives in Thunder Bay – grandfather was a Boer War veteran, lived and worked at the Armories and the Port Arthur medical center as a gardener/caretaker; he was also a French interpreter at the Court House for many years. My maternal grandfather worked at Abitibi Paper Mill; his brother was the Port Arthur Assessment Commissioner for many years. My mother was born and raised in (Port Arthur) Thunder Bay and worked at the Court house, Shipyards and Assessment Office. My mother’s maiden name is Blundell. AND of course I had many great aunts and uncles and cousins who lived and worked in the area all their lives — I STILL have second cousins in the town.
I am a status member of the Lake Helen First Nation (Nipigon) as is my father (who lives in Sudbury) and my aunty (who lives in Terrace Bay). My maiden name is Chaboyer. I have cousins literally across Canada. My grandmother and great-grandmother lived in Nipigon and raised their families there. My father chose to move us out of Thunder Bay when I was quite young to follow work with Ontario Hydro. We started out in a hydro colony in Little Long Rapids (north of Kapuskasing which no longer exists, the only way in or out was by rail), then Thessalon and finally landed in Sudbury in 1967. This is where I spent the rest of my childhood and my early adult years however, I always missed home (Thunder Bay).
The important point here is that my ROOTS are within the Thunder Bay region. After my first child was born in 1981, the drum starting beating in my heart calling me back home! In 1994 (after I graduated from Civil Engineering Technology at Cambrian College in 1993) I moved my 5 children to Thunder Bay. I WAS FINALLY HOME! The rest is history as they say. I am a single mom to my 5 beautiful, talented children, Cynthia 29 years (now married to Jonathan as of June 26); Robert 27 years; Randall 25 years; Trevor 21 years; and, last but certainly not least is Samantha 17 years.
Membership Renewal : Part of my role as a nominee will be to encourage NEW NDP memberships as well as renewing existing memberships. We would encourage you (if you have not already done so) to share this information with your family, colleagues and friends. We have a real opportunity here to shift the political arena! We welcome cheques and/or credit cards. Refer to the last page of this information for an NDP membership application. Feel free to provide these completed forms to me or you can do this online at: http://ontariondp.com/membership/becomeamember.php.
Hope to meet you soon!
Well I hope this helps you to know Cindy Crowe a little better and I would welcome any questions or input. I would also enjoy being invited to your neighbourhood and we could have a discussion about how you see this region moving forward! I would be so happy to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Cindy Crowe
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