|
Taanishi!
Welcome to the August edition of the Lethbridge & Area Métis Association's newsletter! We hope this summer is filled with sunshine and good times spent with loved ones.
Thank you for your continued support and involvement in making our community vibrant and welcoming.
We hope to see you at our next event!
|
|
Highlights
Message from Council
Upcoming August Community Events
July at a Glance
Metis Cooking Corner
| | | | |
Tansi,
On behalf of our elected Local Metis Council, we want to thank you all for your dedication to our community and association. Almost a year and a half ago, we as a community made a difficult decision to restructure - we were formally a local with the Metis Nation of Alberta and now operate as an independent community association. We made this transition so we could focus less on political division and mismanagement and better focus our efforts on our grassroots, on our community. I am proud to share that in virtually all ways, we have seen tremendous growth. Whether it be community engagement through our program offering and attendance or financial sustainability, we continue to prosper. For the first time in the history of our community, we are talking about the possibility of establishing a larger Metis community center. When we as a community focus more on our culture than on politics and division, we get a lot done.
We now serve a greater community with an increasing number of Metis who are part of our local community and also those Metis living here that are part of Red River Metis and other recognized Metis governments. One constant for us is that we remain inclusive to Metis peoples in our community and the Metis homeland. As a historic Metis community, we will continue to represent ourselves and are responsible to the community here, not to some officials who have no affiliation with our community. We will continue to represent our historic Metis community with pride. We will continue to preserve our culture and advocate for rights for Metis people. It’s often easy for larger Metis umbrella groups to speak about rights, but our constitutionally protected rights are recognized at the historic community level, and that is where they will stay. One essence of our community leadership that I am particularly proud of is that we don’t just talk about rights, we talk about the sense of Metis responsibility, and I am incredibly grateful for the efforts of our council members and staff who have continually led to what I believe is amongst the strongest Metis communities.
We plan to host a special general meeting along with our annual general meeting this September with further details below. We welcome all of our members to attend. If we don’t see you there, please make sure to connect with us at one of our many community events.
Please feel free to reach out to us at our office - 403 328 7828 or info@lethbridgemetis.com. We encourage you to also follow us on Facebook at Lethbridge Metis. We strongly believe in being accessible to our community, so feel free to reach out to me or any member of our Council. In closing, tapweeyimisho tapweeyihmik. Believe in yourself, believe in Michif.
In Nationhood,
Dr. Adam Browning
President - Lethbridge and Area Metis Association
Email: president@lethbridgemetis.com
Office: 403 328 7828
| | |
Special Meeting and Annual General Meeting Notice
Our next AGM will take place on September 3 at the Family Ties Gathering Space (911 3rd Ave N., Lethbridge, Alberta).
The meeting will take place after a Special Meeting at 5 PM to amend association bylaws. Proposed changes will be available for members to review prior to the meeting date and posted on our website as well as sent to this mailing list.
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP below, as we will be providing dinner. Please note that to VOTE at the meeting you must have filled out a membership form for Lethbridge & Area Metis Association PRIOR to attending the meeting. We do not have the capacity to review and approve paperwork at this meeting.
If you aren't sure if you've filled out a membership form, please contact the office:
403-328-7828
info@lethbridgemetis.com
| | |
Our office is open:
Monday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Tuesday 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Wednesday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Thursday 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Friday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
To reach us outside of office hours, please contact info@lethbridgemetis.com
*Note: these hours are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances*
| | Volunteer and Community Participation Opportunities | | |
With so many rich community events on the horizon for 2025, we are always on the look out for volunteers
Your participation and enthusiasm continue to make our community strong and united.
If you are interested in being added to the volunteer list, please sign up below and provide us a few details about how you would like to participate
| |  |
Cultural Programming Opportunities
Do you have cultural knowledge or traditional skills you are interested in sharing? We would love to hear from you and connect you to Knowledge Seekers in the community. You don't have to be an Expert to share your knowledge and skills. Facilitation support is available to assist Knowledge Keepers in sharing our history with the community.
Culture Committee
The culture committee meets once per month to discuss ongoing programs and initiatives. If you would like to join the culture committee please let us know by contacting the office, or by filling out the form below!
If you are interested in hosting a workshop or joining the culture committee please contact us at:
info@lethbridgemetis.com or (403) 328-7828.
Thank you for your continued support and involvement!
| | | |
Do you have any children entering K-12 this fall? If so, check out our sign-up sheet for back-to-school supplies! We'd like to support your journey through the school year by getting you started on the right foot. Please note this is an application for school supplies, and no gift cards or money are included.
Follow the link below to access the form. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.
| | |
The deadline to apply for this program is August 8, 2025.
Pick Up will be held in tandem with Seniors Coffee on August 22 from 1PM-3PM at the Lethbridge and Area Metis Association office.
| | Come join us at the Lethbridge and Area Metis Association office for coffee and snacks with the community on August 22 from 1PM-3PM! This Meetup will be combined with the School Supply pickup for approved Metis students in K-12. We hope you have an opportunity to chat to some Metis youth and wish them well in the new school year. | | Visit our table at the Heritage Day festival on August 4, as well as many other cultural displays! Let's celebrate our heritage together! | | Register for this day camp through the Lethbridge Public Library here! | | |
The Italian Canadian Club will be hosting fresh bread sales throughout August, offering things like white bread, foccacia, buns, cinnamon rolls, and more!
Head to 1511 St. Edwards Blvd. N in Lethbridge from 11AM-1PM on any of the following days to check it out!
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Monday, August 11, 2025
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Thursday, August 14, 2025
Monday, August 18, 2025
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Thursday, August 21, 2025
Monday, August 25, 2025
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
| | |
Family Outdoor Play
Check out the numerous free family activities that will be around Lethbridge schools and parks this summer, on August 5, 12, and 13.
Look for the big, bright tents and have fun together in the sunshine!
| | At the beginning of July, we had the pleasure of visiting Horizon Herbs in Fort Macleod for information on traditional healing herbs, and creating our own tea blends! Thank you to Horizon Herbs for hosting us and teaching us! | |
Family Discovery Tour: Bees and Pollinators
The Helen Schuler Nature Centre hosted us once again for an Outdoor Discovery Tour, this time focusing on bees and pollinators! We made bee houses and learned about all kinds of helpful pollinators we have in Southern Alberta.
Thank you to the Helen Schuler Centre for hosting us once again!
| |
| |
Day Camp Placeholder
Our youth had the opportunity to get outdoors for a two-day camp hosted by Academy in the Wild in July!
They learned skills like knife-handling and whittling, creating shelter, and plant identification. They also made things like natural bug spray, clay beads, and primitive painting.
Thank you Academy in the Wild for teaching our Metis Wildlings!
| | | | We enjoyed another Senior's Meet Up in July! Thank you to everyone for coming out and making this monthly event happen! | | Thank you for your support and involvement in making July a great month! We hope to see you in August. | | |
We have a lot of great programs and workshops coming up as we move into September! Keep an eye out for more details about our:
- Ending Workplace Harassment Course
- Personal Development Courses
- Seniors and Elders Abuse Awareness
- Peer Support Groups
- Professionalism and Resume Building workshops
We will also be continuing our Seniors' coffee drop-in days, cultural skills workshops, and youth programming!
| |
Bannock Pizza
This recipe is very versatile and could be made with many different toppings! Metis cooking is all about being creative with what you have.
Ingredients:
Bannock Pizza Dough
- 4 cups all purpose flour(500 g), plus more for dusting
- ¼ cup baking powder(30 g)
- ¼ cup sugar(500 g)
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 cups water(720 mL)
Pizza
- 12 tablespoons barbecue sauce, divided
- 16 slices prosciutto
- 20 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
- 16 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 12 fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Slowly add the water and mix with your hands until the dough comes together. Divide the dough into 4 pieces.
- Working with 1 piece at a time, roll and stretch out the dough on a generously floured surface to 6–8 inch rounds.
- Top each dough round with 2 tablespoons barbeque sauce, 4 slices of prosciutto, 5 slices of fresh mozzarella, 4 halved cherry tomatoes, and 3 torn basil leaves.
- Transfer 1 pizza to a stone pizza oven heated to 900°F (480°C) and cook for 4 minutes, rotating the pizza halfway, until the cheese is melted and the crust is puffy and charred in spots. Repeat with the remaining pizza. (Alternatively, preheat a standard oven to 500°F (260°C) with a pizza stone inside while you make the pizzas. Cook the pizzas 1 at a time on the heated stone for 8 minutes, rotating halfway.)
- Drizzle another tablespoon of barbecue sauce on top of each pizza, then garnish with more basil and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Recipe from Paul Natrall via Tasty
Bannock Pizza As Made By Paul Natrall Recipe by Tasty
| | If you have a family recipe you'd like to be included in an upcoming newsletter, please send it our way! We would be happy to share your family meals and traditions. | | Our council is here to serve and support you. Please reach out with any questions or concerns to info@lethbridgemetis.com | | | | |
