Premier's Council on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit Plus People
Houle, Kimmy
Kimmy Houle (Akai’kamotaaki – Survives Many Perils) grew up on the Blood Tribe and is a proud member of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Kimmy obtained her Bachelor of Management from the University of Lethbridge in 2003. Kimmy started working for the Blackfoot Confederacy as the Environment/Economic Development Director in July 2018. Prior to that, she worked with the Government of Alberta for 10 years on a variety of land and natural resource management issues. She was also the Blood Tribe’s Housing Director where she learned the importance of sustainable housing practices and project management.
Kimmy has been part of the Blood Tribe Police Commission since 2019, which provides oversight, governance and supports community-based policing that follows Blackfoot values and ways of knowing. Kimmy is excited to be working with the Premiers Council on MMIWG and empowering all allies in creating meaningful change for the safety of our people.
Bourque, Justin
Justin Bourque is Métis from the Willow Lake Métis Nation/Anzac where he a traditional harvester, trapper and land user. Justin continues to exercise his rights on the land and passes his knowledge on to his community and kin and is also the owner and operator of a business that offers land-based learning to youth. With 27 years of diverse experience in the oil and gas industry and Indigenous community development, Justin is also the founder and President of Asokan Generational Developments, a consulting firm that bridges the gap between industry and Indigenous communities.
Justin has played an integral role in three major Indigenous equity transactions worth approximately $2.6 billion and involving more than 35 unique Indigenous communities throughout the province. In recognition of Justin’s leadership and contributions to Indigenous communities, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022 along with many other proud distinctions in recent years.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy, Support and Integrated Initatives, Public Safety and Emergency Services
Assistant Deputy Minister, Youth and Preventive Family Services, Children and Family Services
Assistant Deputy Minister, Status of Women and Community and Creative Development, Arts, Culture and Status of Women
Venne, Rachelle
Rachelle Venne is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW), a position she has held since 2008.
At IAAW, Rachelle has designed several supportive programs and assembled a committed team to address poverty, isolation, violence and discrimination that Indigenous women and Two Spirit people face when trying to advance in Alberta.
The daughter of national advocate Muriel Stanley Venne, Rachelle understands the importance of collaborative solutions with Indigenous women taking the lead. Rachelle was Co-Chair of the Alberta Joint Working Group on MMIWG, and is currently a member of the Métis Women's Economic Security Council and Co-Chair of the Alberta Human Rights Commission Indigenous Advisory Circle.
Tegler, Charity
Charity Tegler is a Cree Métis woman committed to advancing truth and reconciliation as a divisional learning coordinator with the Foothills School Division, just south of Calgary. Charity seeks ways to implement strategies that decolonize and indigenize systems and structures within organizations, specifically educational institutions. She is completing her Master of Education from Yorkville University. Charity is also an active member of the Métis Nation of Alberta.
Charity has worked on a multitude of projects, including designing “All My Relations,” a locally developed three-part high school course to advance foundational knowledge of Métis, First Nation and Inuit and support pathways to reconciliation. She has also worked in consultation with local Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Indigenous educational leaders in developing the Foothills School Division’s Truth and Reconciliation for Learners Success Toolkit.
Charity is trained in danger assessment, safety planning, conflict resolution and crisis counselling, which are useful in her work at Wheatland Crisis Centre, an organization where individuals are supported with shelter, counselling, resources and violence prevention services.
Wolfe, Lisa
Lisa Wolfe is Métis and serves as the Provincial Secretary of Education, Training, Language and Veterans Affairs of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government. Lisa is a retired Edmonton Police Service Officer and a past member of the Royal Canadian Air Force Reserves where she was a Lieutenant. Lisa has had opportunities to work in the Edmonton Police Services’ Major Crimes, Missing Persons Unit, and she has been an advocate for missing and murdered women, girls and 2sLGBTQIA+ communities. As a Métis role model, Lisa has spoken to audiences across Canada about her career as a police officer and her Métis heritage. Lisa Wolfe was the Esquao Award recipient from the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW) for her national commitment to her Indigenous communities (Justice, Service, and Community).