The MNO Thunder Bay & District Métis Council hosted a Louis Riel Day celebration at Fort William Historical Park, featuring an art exhibit by the Kooshkopayiw Métis Art Collective, on November 16, 2024.
Louis Riel was a Métis leader who fought for the rights, lands, and culture of the Métis people. He led the Red River Resistance in 1869 and the Northwest Resistance in 1885, which ended with the Battle of Batoche. After the Northwest Resistance, Riel was arrested, tried, and convicted of treason. He was executed in Regina, Saskatchewan, on November 16, 1885. Every year on this day Métis citizens and communities hold events to honour his sacrifice while celebrating Métis culture and resilience.
This year, Louis Riel was commemorated in Thunder Bay with a gathering of over 300 people. The event featured traditional craft activities, a community feast, and a live musical performance by Alyssa and Colin Delbaere-Sawchuk. Opening remarks were delivered by MNO President Margaret Froh, Thunder Bay and District Métis Council President Wendy Houston, MNO Veterans’ Council President Brian Prairie, MNO Director of Self-Government Strategy Brian Black, Thunder Bay and District Métis Council Senator Grant Robbins, and local leaders, including MPP Lise Vaugeois, Lakehead University President Gillian Siddall, Thunder Bay Police Chief Darcy Fleury, and Councillor Dominic Pasqualino, along with many TBDMC citizens and friends.
Marsii to all who attended and made this event possible, honouring Riel’s enduring impact on Métis rights and history.