Late Ginoogaming Chief Celia Echum honoured with room at Mattawa employment training centre

Indigenous leaders and chiefs from across Thunder Bay gathered Wednesday to honor the life of a late Ginoogaming chief with the newly named Celia Echum Innovation Room.

Echum was re-elected as Chief seven times and served until her death in May 2020.

Speakers referenced her guidance and commitment as instrumental to the creation of the Kiikenomaga Kikenjigewen Employment and Training Services (KKETS) centre, which hosted the event.

“In recognition of her enduring legacy, the Innovation Room is dedicated in her memory,” said David Neegan, Executive Director of KKETS. “(It’s) a space for reflection, creativity, and forward-thinking solutions that embody her belief in empowering First Nations people.”

According to Neegan, KKETS is the first known integrated model of evidence-informed wellness strategy supporting First Nations across Canada.

The gathering was also an opportunity to speak on the future of KKETS and Indigenous communities in Thunder Bay.

“What we’ll be doing is working with your community members in terms of getting their Red Seals, and also train those individuals for project management so you can start building your own homes,” Neegan said.

“We should be located right directly in the communities, working for you so that we experience what you experience every single day.”