OTTAWA ABORIGINAL COALITION
Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition
Formed in 2001 as a means of presenting a unified voice on behalf of the Aboriginal community. The Coalition is an alliance of Aboriginal delivery organizations that provide front-line programs and services to Aboriginal people living in the National Capital Region.
What We Do
The OAC has ten Members and two Co-Chairs, Allison Fisher Executive Director of Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health and Mikki Adams, CAFM Executive Director of Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families. Mary Daoust, Executive Director of Minwaashin Lodge- Indigenous Women's Support Centre is the Administrative Lead for the OAC. The OAC has a number of staff including: Project Coordinator, Project Support, Relationship Coordinator, Administrative Coordinator and Research Assistants.
The OAC advocates at the community, municipal, provincial and federal levels and seeks to educate and raise awareness on Aboriginal issues and the unique circumstances of Aboriginal people and their interests in Ottawa. Ultimately we seek to increase the positive and healthy choices available to Aboriginal community members and their families across a wide and diverse range of considerations, whether it is health or housing or education to employment and training or access to cultural activities.
Our Story
The Coalition originally formed in 2001 as a means of presenting a unified voice with the City of Ottawa on behalf of the local Aboriginal community around the issue of homelessness. Between 2001 and 2005, with the leadership of Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, the Coalition worked together on a number of other issues that affected the Aboriginal community in Ottawa including the Official City plan and the investments that United Way provided to Aboriginal community service organizations.
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In 2005, it became an official coalition of Aboriginal services organizations that provided front-line programs and services to Aboriginal people living in the National Capital Region (NRC). The original members of the Coalition were: Wabano Health Centre for Aboriginal Health, Gignul Housing, Odawa Friendship Centre, Minwaashin Lodge, Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre, Tungasuvvingat Inuit and a Métis Community Representative.
Our Logo
The Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition’s logo, which was adapted from the original logo created for the City of Ottawa’s Aboriginal Working Committee, is representative of First Nations, Métis and Inuit in Canada.
Flying forward against the backdrop of the sun is a Snow Goose, representative of all Aboriginal peoples as this goose flies across all territories. It is painted in red and black Haida-style with a moose antler in its design to signify the First Nations. A white infinity symbol, which is found in the Métis flag, can be seen swirling around the goose. And the Ulu, a traditional Inuit women’s knife, in the backdrop of the sun is meant to symbolize our most northern peoples, the Inuit. In addition to its circular shape, the 4 colours of the logo are the 4 colours of the Medicine Wheel: yellow, red, black and white.
Our Members
The Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition is comprised of local Indigenous service organizations, as well as a representative of the Métis community.
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The members of the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition recognize that we have a shared responsibility to participate in the building of the community that we want to live in. The Coalition is open to all Ottawa Aboriginal service organizations in Ottawa.
As a Coalition, the Executive Directors, come together and work for the collective benefit of the Aboriginal community and respond to the specific needs of the community.
In our work we respect:
1. the cultural diversity of the community which is made up of First Nation, Inuit and Métis people;
2. the mandates of each organization.
As members of the Coalition we recognize that when we work together, our collective voice is stronger and one of our primary tools of work is through the building and maintaining of relationships and partnerships.
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