Fellow Rebel Rider Wayne Ferguson started me a few years ago on what has become a Canada Day ritual of sorts (some would say insanity): a patriotic fitness ride totaling the same number of kilometers as the years since Confederation. Old St. Peter’s Church just over the bridge north of Selkirk is about 70 km from my front door, so I figured that a few short detours along the way would make it the perfect 145 km round trip. Unfortunately, with Wayne out of town, my 2012 patriotic ride would be a solo cycle. Bare spots suitably coated in sunscreen (forecasted high was 31 degrees), my 7:30 start was relatively cool, but I had not expected to be barreling through so many patriotic flying insects. My Badger SPF 30+ cream turned me into human fly-paper on wheels.

It turned out to be a perfect Canada Day route. I made pretty good time, reaching St. Peter’s around 10 am. Leaning my bike against a tree, I explored the large cemetery surrounding the church on the banks of the Red. Fascinating! I had not realized that the stone church, built in 1853, was on the site of the first Peguis Reserve. Ever wondered after whom the Chief Peguis Trail was named? Then read on. My Canada Day cycle was about to transport me back 200 years to the very foundations of Winnipeg and Manitoba.

St. Peter’s Reserve.

I’ve been hearing a lot this year about the war of 1812, but nothing about the 200^th anniversary of the arrival of the first Red River settlers. And I certainly knew next to nothing about Chief Peguis (born about 1774) who had settled with his band near Netley Creek in the 1790s. Often known as “Chief Cut-Nose” because his nose had been bitten off in a fight around 1802, Peguis welcomed the first Red River settlers in 1812, exactly 200 years ago, and is credited with aiding and defending them during their first difficult years. He guided them to hunt buffalo in 1814, helped bury their dead after the Seven Oaks Massacre in 1816, and even rescued Marie-Anne Gaboury, the first white woman in the West and future grandmother of Louis Riel. And it was a treaty through Peguis on July 20^th, 1817, that granted Lord Selkirk’s settlers use of Red River lands that included the future settlements of Selkirk, Lockport, and Winnipeg.

And here I was, right in the middle of what would become known as St. Peter’s Indian Reserve, the first successful Indian agricultural settlement in Western Canada. Peguis had been persuaded in 1832 to settle here, just north of present day Selkirk. When Peguis converted to Christianity in 1840, giving up three of his four wives in the process, he adopted the name William King and gave his children the last name of Prince. The names of many of the original settlers, including some of the Princes, can still be read on headstones in the cemetery. The largest is the monument over the grave of Peguis himself, who died only three years before confederation in 1864.

On my cycle back through the town of Selkirk I stopped at the Marine Museum of Manitoba, then St. Clement’s Anglican Church (1861) with its large cemetery containing the graves of many of the founding families of Selkirk. Being Sunday morning, there was a service going on and, to my surprise, I hit the churchyard just as the choir broke in to O Canada! Next stop was the “Stone Fort” of Lower Fort Garry where, on August 3, 1871, Peguis’s youngest son, Henry “Red Eagle” Prince, signed Treaty No. 1 with the new country of Canada, formally transferring lands that are now part of modern Manitoba. On the road again and passing the Lockport Inn at midday struck me as a most appropriate time to stop for a nice cold Molson Canadian! I am after all neither a mad dog nor an Englishman. Well revived and my water-bottle refilled, I continued on to Winnipeg, back over the Chief Peguis Trail, the Raleigh Greenway, and the Louise Bridge (first bridge in Winnipeg and the one over which the first Canadian Pacific through passenger train crossed on July 1, 1886!), under a Canadian National train crossing the CN bridge over the Stephen Juba Park trail, a short stop at the Forks to gawk at the Canada Day crowd and some obliging Canada geese, and a final 20 km home. Whew! A lot of history for one day!

As I soaked in a nice hot tub some eight sweaty hours after my Badger coated launch, I couldn’t help but wonder where the wheels had fallen off in the 200 years since first contact with Peguis, friend of the settlers. All that is left of the first Peguis Reserve is a dirt road leading to the old stone church where he is buried, surrounded by crumbling headstones and a few forgotten monuments. Successive waves of settlers and the new government of Canada pushed the Peguis band off prime agricultural land that was considered too good for Indians and onto reserves farther north. You may have heard of Peguis’s great-great-grandson, Sgt. Tommy Prince, Canada’s most decorated Aboriginal war veteran. Though a hero in the mold of his great-great-grandfather, like too many of our First Nations brothers and sisters he died penniless in a homeless shelter and is virtually as forgotten as Peguis himself.

Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for, but my 2012 Canada Day memory will be of Peguis and his legacy, and of a province and country sorely in need of a wellness plan. I am afraid that for too many of us ignorance is bliss.

Tommy Prince (1915-1977)

Maritime Museum

College Days are new this year (sort of), going from a week of workshops, festivities, and activites to a month long compilation of events.  Since Wellness activities are spread throughout the calendar, here are a few highlights.

May 31st – Innovation Day – The Wellness Committee will be in the NDC Library hallway with the blog on display as well as a Blender Bike – which combines biking with blendering.  So come by, saddle up, meet some Wellness Committee members, have a smoothie, etc.

June 4th – Wellness Day Breakfast / Walk-a-thon / Commuter Challenge – a chance to forgo the chores of preparing your own brekkie so you can come in and have something healthy at work. This is at the Voyageur Cafeteria (NDC) and the Roblin Centre cafeteria as well. The Walk-a-thon begins at noon and runs till 1:30 – at the NDC and EDC campuses.  A great time to stretch the legs and get out – go here to register.

The Sustainability Office also kicks off the Commuter Challenge this week.

June 8th – Picnic on the Lawnat NDC. New this year, is the picnic on the lawn at the NDC campus. This should be a good time to get outside, meet some co-workers, and hopefully enjoy some sunshine for a change.

We can’t ignore the fact that the weather has been absolutely wonderful, amazing, and beautiful lately. This past weekend was probably one of the best weekends ever! Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all mothers at Red River College!

I don’t know about you, but once the weather is nice, I have to be outside to soak the sun, feel the warmth, get a nice walk, and feel the breeze on my face. As my lunch break was approaching yesterday, I faced a dilemma: Do I go to the gym or do I go outside for a walk. I got my gym bag and headed to the North Gym, Notre Dame Campus. Well, the gym was closed. I smiled and said “thank you”, the decision was already made for me. I was definitely going outside for a walk. I noticed the green grass, the leaves and blossoms on the trees, the pink, white, yellow flowers in the bushes. I sat by the water and watched a family of geese. The little ones were still having their yellow fur! I had a fantastic lunch walk in the cemetery and I came back to work completely refreshed. Unbelievable what a nice walk and some sunshine can do for me!

Let me share with you one of my wellness practices which does wonders for me: Every two hours, I leave my office and go outside to feel the sunshine on my face. I find a place to sit outside, close my eyes, and just feel the warmth. I can’t help but smile when I do that. It might seem silly, but this little moment of sunshine on my face is one little way of taking care of me.

On Sunday, Mother’s Day, I spent four hours at the Assiniboia Park with my son, Alec. I will never forget this Sunday. My son played at the Children’s Garden and we had to do our usual visit to see The Turtles and the Fishes (Conservatory). We took a walk from there to the Duck Pond where Alec and I sat on one of the hills and had a snack while we watched the geese and the ducks. Well, this past Sunday, was extraordinary special. My son saw 12 ducklings eating bread at the duck pond and he was absolutely fascinated. He wouldn’t leave the ducklings out of sight. It was fun watching him enjoy the cute, little, baby ducks. This moment at the Assiniboia Park is so simple and natural. I was reminded how our ordinary life can become an extraordinary adventure. I feel a tremendous amount of gratitude for moments like this one.

I will end my post with one of my favorite quotes by Joseph Campbell:

“People say that what we’re seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. ”

At Red River College, we value a healthy environment and express this through promotion of creativity, wellness, flexibility, safety, and sustainable learning. RRC President Stephanie Forsyth is a strong proponent of health, wellness, and life balance.

She recently provided some insight into her personal beliefs, attitudes, and activities on the subject. In addition to elaborating on some of the ways she likes to relax while enjoying precious downtime, Stephanie also shared her thoughts on community, ideas about wellness at the College – and even her favourite snack.

This is the first of a two-part series featuring a Q+A with Red River College’s chief executive.

Looking for part two? Read it here.

Read More →

The Wellness Committee is an initiative of the College’s  People Plan, a comprehensive human resource strategy to position Red River College as an employer of choice. The Committee draws its membership from across the College, creating a “grass roots” structure that connects with the broader College Community as well as areas directly responsible for Wellness-related activities.

Ryan Ratushniak and Lucille McLeod