Fourteen First Nations, Metis and Inuit individuals from across the country will be honoured tonight for their achievements at the 2015 Indspire Awards gala in Calgary.
Saskatchewan’s own Kendal Netmaker of the Sweetgrass First Nation will be receiving the youth award for his entrepreneurship through his business Neechie Gear.
Other notable recipients include former NHL player Gino Odjick and Truth and Reconciliation Commission commissioner and former Member of Parliament Dr. Wilton Littlechild.
Meanwhile, the federal government has announced it is providing an addition $1.4 million for Indspire’s Building Brighter Futures Campaign.
That’s on top of the $10 million that was previously committed over the last two years.
The new funding is contingent on Indspire raising matching contributions on a dollar-for-dollar basis from non-federal sources by March 31.
The deadline for Aboriginal students to apply for this year’s Indspire bursaries and scholarships is March 9.