The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, Manager of Marketing & Communications

Inspired by Chanie’s story and Gord’s call to build a better Canada, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund builds cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Our goal is to improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education, and connections between all peoples in Canada.

Led a team of three communications staff and served as communications advisor across all departments and program areas to advance reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples across Canada.

Oversaw the development of website content, social media content, e-newsletters (to 32,000+ subscribers), media relations, out-of-home marketing campaigns, and all marketing and communications content for high-profile national public initiatives (both in-person and digitally).
Produced strategic marketing and communications plans and activities, including the launch of a multi-million dollar reconciliation partnership with The Bay, Indigenous History Month programming, and A Day to Listen 2022; produced KPIs for board reporting.

Roles & Responsibilities

A Day to Listen 2022

In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) partnered once again with major media outlets and radio stations throughout Canada on A DAY TO LISTEN 2022, which aired nationally from 6AM – 6PM local time.

With more than 540 radio stations participating, spanning different markets, regions, and formats, A DAY TO LISTEN 2022 leveraged the power of radio to inspire people throughout Canada to move reconciliation forward in meaningful ways.

In 2022, we highlighted the voices and stories of Indigenous Peoples around the theme, ‘Messages of Hope’. This will centre on four areas:

Cultural Reclamation
Language Resurgence
Art Practice
Land-Based Learning Narratives

Listen Now

Oshki Wupoowane | The Blanket Fund

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) and Hudson’s Bay Foundation are proud to launch Oshki Wupoowane | The Blanket Fund. Moving forward, 100 per cent of net proceeds from the sale of all HBC Point Blankets will go to Indigenous Peoples.

Oshki Wupoowane | The Blanket Fund will provide support for Indigenous cultural, artistic, and educational activities offered through two different grant streams. The first will focus on capacity-building grants for grassroots Indigenous-led initiatives and organizations, and the second will support Indigenous individuals undertaking reconciliation actions in communities throughout the country.

The Ojibwe “Oshki Wupoowane”, “a new blanket” in English, was chosen as the name of The Blanket Fund in collaboration with Chanie Wenjack’s family. The Wenjack sisters guided us on the naming, with Chanie’s sister Evelyn coaching us through proper pronunciation and syllabics.

Learn more

Indigenous History Month

In honour of Indigenous History Month, we presented a series of four events in celebration of the diversity of Indigenous Peoples across Canada.

We learned about different Indigenous languages, sacred herbs and medicines from the land, traditional songs, Indigenous inventions, and more! Our episodes featured teachings and performances from the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick, ending with a special Canada-wide episode that highlighted the beauty of these three regions.

The themes of our 2022 programming events were honour, commitment, and reflection. All peoples in Canada, from coast to coast to coast, are invited to watch each of the events below.

National Indigenous Peoples Day

On June 21st, 2022, DWF proudly partnered with Scotiabank and Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment (MLSE) for a special one-day event to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Over 1,000 students gathered at Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto, and thousands more joined virtually, to hear from Indigenous Elders, performers, speakers and artists, who showcased their work, stories, and knowledge. Students had the honour of hearing from the Wenjack and Downie families about how we can continue to move reconciliation forward in our lives and communities.

After the concert, students visited a series of learning stations around the concourse of the arena and participated in meaningful discussions on Indigenous knowledge, language, and culture.