Join SPT and Lindsay Kretschmer, Executive Director of the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council (TASSC) for a conversation about Indigenous prosperity and what eliminating poverty means for Indigenous community-based organizations in Toronto. Kenn Richard, consultant and author of the forthcoming Toronto Aboriginal Research Project 10-Year Legacy Review and Indigenous Prosperity Action Plan, speaks about the systemic change, investments, and long-term solutions needed for Indigenous people in Toronto to thrive and how non-Indigenous community-based organizations can partner and act as allies in this work.
Learn more about Social Planning Toronto's work on poverty reduction here.
About the speakers:
Kenn Richard is the lead consultant for the Toronto Aboriginal Research Project 10-Year Legacy Review and Indigenous Prosperity Action Plan, written in collaboration with LBCG Consulting for Impact for the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council.
Both sides of Kenn Richard’s family come from the original Métis and Francophone settlements along the Red and the Assiniboine River in Manitoba. He is of the first generation in his family to be raised in an urban environment and graduate from university. He holds a Masters in Social Work, University of Manitoba, and has been practicing social work, principally within Aboriginal child welfare, since the mid-seventies. Kenn is founder and until recently was Executive Director of Native Child and Family Services of Toronto.
Kenn has been the recipient of multiple awards including the Toronto Civic Award of Merit, The Aboriginal Affairs Award, the Diamond Jubilee medal in recognition of HRH Elizabeth 60 years on the throne. In 2016, he was honoured with the Jane Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to city life. In 2018, Kenn received the Meritorious Service Cross, one of the highest civilian honors awarded to Canadians, from the Governor General, for his achievements for his actions toward contributing to the quality of Canadian life.
Kenn is a strong children’s advocate at both the national and the local level. He has appeared as expert witness to the courts and Parliamentary/Legislative committees on matters associated with Native children. He has also been active in the both the print and the visual media on issues associated with the welfare of Native children. As a leader Kenn has led the way in the evolution of off reserve services to Native people. He has over the course of thirty years made significant and tangible contributions to making the future better for Native children in Toronto and across the Province.
Lindsay (Swooping Hawk) Kretschmer is German, and Mohawk and she was born and raised in Toronto. Lindsay’s family and ancestral connections are to Six Nations of the Grand River Territory and Mississaugas of the Credit. Lindsay is a member of the Mississaugas of the Credit. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 20 years. She currently serves as the Executive Director for an Indigenous-led non-profit coalition in Toronto.
Lindsay has served on boards and in senior management roles locally, provincially, and nationally within the non-profit and Indigenous social serving sector. Her education is in business and marketing, women’s studies, and ADR/mediation. Lindsay is dedicated to social justice and advocacy, which is inspired by her own journey of overcoming personal adversity.
This event took place on April 11, 2024.