MNO News 40: President’s Message (January 2026)
Dear Citizens,
January can be a quieter month. After the gatherings and excitement of the holidays, many of us ease back into routine. We’re back to our usual work and school schedules, and the steady rhythms of everyday life. It’s often a time for checking in on one another, for looking ahead to the year before us, and for thinking about what we might need in the months to come. Not just as individuals, but as families and communities.
For Métis families, winter has always brought its own rhythm. Travelling when the weather allows. Checking in on relatives. Settling in closer to home. It’s a season shaped by adjustment and care, and by paying attention to what we’ll need to carry us through the rest of the year.
January is also a time for reflection. As we turn the page to a new year, I want to take a moment to acknowledge loss within our Métis community. We remember Heather Garratt of the Georgian Bay Métis Council, Marg Raynor, a Métis educator, and Angie Crerar of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government. Each of them gave so much to their communities and to Métis people more broadly. Each was loved, and each leaves behind family, friends, and colleagues who are grieving. I offer my heartfelt condolences to all who are mourning. We hold their memory with care and respect.
As we reflect on loss and on the responsibilities we carry for one another, care also takes very practical forms. One example of that care is the Love Yourself First breast screening project. It began when Métis women spoke honestly about a real need they were seeing in their communities. Today, it continues to create safe, welcoming spaces where women can ask questions, share experiences, and take steps to protect their health. The impact has been real. Early diagnoses have already made a difference in people’s lives. I’m grateful to the Women’s Representatives, health care partners, survivors, and everyone who has carried this work forward with such care.
Strong leadership is also an important part of caring for our communities. This month, the Métis Nation of Ontario Women’s Council is accepting applications to fill a vacancy for the position of President. Métis women interested in stepping into this leadership role are encouraged to submit a resume and a letter of interest to the Women’s Council by midnight on January 30, 2026. I want to thank the Women’s Council for the work they do to support Métis women across Ontario, and I encourage eligible women citizens to consider this opportunity to serve.
Care also means thinking beyond the present moment. About the land and waters that sustain us. And about the responsibilities we carry as Métis people. In November, I joined Métis governments from across the Homeland at the inaugural Métis National Council Nature Summit. Elders, Knowledge Keepers, youth, and leaders came together to share knowledge and help shape a new Nature Strategy grounded in Métis values. What stayed with me was the reminder that stewardship isn’t abstract. It lives in our relationships with place, with one another, and with the generations who will come after us.
This month also marks the 30th anniversary of the Indigenous Skills and Employment Strategy. The Métis Nation of Ontario has been a leader in delivering this strategy since the very beginning, supporting Métis citizens in accessing training and employment for three decades. MNO representatives will be participating in gatherings in Ottawa to recognize this work and its impact.
In the weeks ahead, important conversations will also be taking place at the national and provincial levels. The fourth National Indigenous–Federal–Provincial–Territorial Meeting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People will bring governments together to assess progress and renew commitments. MNO will also be participating in the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association’s annual gathering, continuing discussions on partnerships, infrastructure, and the needs of communities across Ontario.
Here in Ontario, that same sense of responsibility is showing up in very practical ways. This month, the Georgian Bay Métis Council is sponsoring a fresh produce giveaway for up to 200 citizens. That kind of effort doesn’t happen by accident. It reflects a council that listens closely to its citizens and responds to real needs with care and purpose.
Families will also see new opportunities to connect and learn in the weeks ahead. Registration is now open for the Autism Allies early learning workshop series, a ten-week program designed to support parents and caregivers with practical tools, shared learning, and connection. These sessions are about building confidence and understanding while reminding families that they don’t have to navigate these journeys alone.
Métis citizens across the province continue to strengthen early learning through the Licensed Home Child Care Program. By opening childcare spaces in their own homes, providers are supporting families while building meaningful livelihoods rooted in Métis culture and community. In less than a year, 24 new licensed spaces are already operating, with more on the way.
There are also opportunities ahead for youth and educators, from virtual Way of Life workshops for Métis youth, to upcoming learning sessions for educators interested in Métis ways of knowing through play. These are different initiatives with different audiences, but they demonstrate a shared commitment to supporting Métis people at every stage of life.
As we look further ahead, I’m also already looking forward to gathering with Citizens this August at our Annual General Assembly in Thunder Bay. These moments of coming together matter. They give us time to reflect on where we’ve been, to share direction for the work ahead, and to continue building our Métis government together.
As we begin the new year, I want to thank you for the many visible and often unseen ways you care for one another and for our communities. I wish you a healthy, steady start to the year ahead.
Margaret Froh
President, Métis Nation of Ontario