PANEL DISCUSSION
TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION IN SPORT
Panel Members
Alwyn Morris
Order of Sport Recipient and Hall of Famer
A member of the Turtle Clan from the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake, Alwyn Morris not only raised the bar in competitive canoe-kayak sprint, his Olympic Gold Medal performance inspired a nation and made him one of the most influential Indigenous athletes of all time.
In the world of canoe-kayak sprint, Alwyn Morris’s first major accomplishment was winning the Canadian National Junior Championships in 1975. This was a sign of great things to come, as between 1980 and 1984 he won six consecutive Canadian Championships. Over the course of his career, he would medal at many World Championships winning a Silver medal in 1982 and a Bronze medal in 1983, and made history at the 1984 Olympic Games by becoming the first Indigenous athlete to win a Gold Medal representing Canada. It was a touching moment for all Indigenous people to see Alwyn standing on top of the podium and even more touching as he raised in his left hand, high in the air, an Eagle Feather to commemorate his grandfather and serve as a proud tribute to his Mohawk ancestry... Read More.
Alayiah Wolf Child
2023 Calgary Stampede First Nations Princess
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Alayiah Wolf Child is a 24-year- old Blackfoot woman and a proud member of Siksika Nation. Her Blackfoot name is Massamahkoyinnimaki which roughly translates to “Long Time Thunder Pipe Woman.” Alayiah was brought up as both a Traditional and Jingle Dress dancer in the Elbow River Camp and possesses a deep love and respect for the western culture that both her grandparents loved so much. Alayiah has always been an avid supporter of not only the Blackfoot culture but also the rich Western culture that surrounds Mohkinstsis (Calgary). As such she has made it her mission to not only teach others about the vision Guy Weadick had for Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth that we all know as the Calgary Stampede as well as to encourage each and every young girl, woman and person within Treaty 7 and Calgary that with a strong dream, hard work and determination, you can achieve anything you put your mind to.
Michael Linklater
North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame, 2018 Tom Longboat Award Winner
Michael Linklater is a proud Nehiyaw father from Thunderchild First Nation. He has won the first ever National Championships for both the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Rattlers. He played for the Canadian National team at the FIBA 3X3 World Cup. Michael is a Recipent of numerous awards which include Inductee into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame and the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame, recipient of: the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, INDspire Laureate, the National Tom Longboat Award, Canadian Sport Award for Inclusion, and the Saskatchewan CBC Future 40 under 40.
Michael is a community leader and advocate for Indigenous youth. He is the Founder of the International Campaign Boys with Braids. Michael was invited by Dr. Jill Biden to attend the first ever Reception at the White House that celebrated Native American Heritage month.
He is Co-chair of the Early Learning Equal Start. campaign, which aims to raise $20M for early childhood education. He also serves as a member of the Canada Basketball Hall of Fame selection committee, Saskatchewan Roughriders Indigenous Task Force, Toronto Raptors Indigenous Advisory Circle, and has served on the FIBA 3X3 Commission.
Michael is a professional speaker with over 24 years of experience. He has delivered hundreds of keynote addresses to thousands of youth and adults across the globe, including events by the international Olympic Committee and Canadian Olympic committee. As a father, he is deeply committed to modelling a healthy lifestyle for his children and encouraging youth to live drug and alcohol-free.
Michael is the co-founder of Sohkisiwin Solutions, where he shares his wealth of knowledge and experience to help bridge the gap between non-Indigenous and Indigenous groups. With his numerous athletic, community, and advocacy achievements, Michael Linklater is a true leader and role model for all.
Rhonda Rudnitski
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SECURE Energy, Vice President, Environment, Social and Governance (ESG)
Rhonda is responsible for evolving SECURE’s ESG strategy and integrating it into all aspects of its business. This includes setting ESG goals and targets that will make SECURE’s business more sustainable by reducing risk, encouraging innovation, building business resilience, and identifying ESG related opportunities to enhance customer service. SECURE’s ESG strategy mandates the creation of opportunities to offer services that will help its customers reduce their environmental impact and to be an integral part of the energy transformation.
She has nearly 30 years of environmental industry experience. Prior to joining SECURE in 2021, she held positions with increasing scope and leadership responsibility at Tervita Corporation and Newalta Corporation. Within these organizations her portfolios have included: engineering, regulatory and compliance, health and safety, process safety management, closed sites/asset retirement, community relations, and indigenous relations. She has participated in various government created stakeholder groups that focused on updating existing regulations or developing new ones.
Prior to Newalta, she held various field-based operations and regulatory compliance positions at Waste Management Inc. Rhonda received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta, completed the Occupational Health and Safety Certificate program from Ryerson University, and is a registered professional engineer.
Trevor Haynes
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Black Diamond Group, Co-Founder, President and CEO
Trevor Haynes co-founded Black Diamond Group in 2003 and has been the President and CEO since inception. He has over 25 years of experience in the modular buildings, workforce accommodations and energy services industries, across North America and internationally.
Before co-founding Black Diamond Group, Trevor was involved in launching and building a number of successful energy services and construction related companies. Prior to this, he held progressively senior roles at a large Canadian multi-national company.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto.
Over the course of his career, Trevor has devoted his time and talents to strong organizations and the community, and currently serves as Director of PTW Group Inc. and Chairman and Director of Claryn Equities Inc. In 2019, he was elected as a Governor of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Trevor is also Past Chair of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC), and the Fig Tree Foundation.
Bob Rooney
Enbridge, Executive Vice President and CLO
Bob was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer on February 1, 2017. Bob serves on the Executive Leadership Team and leads Enbridge’s legal, ethics and compliance, security and aviation teams across the organization.
Bob has over 30 years of energy sector experience. He has held roles of senior executive, advisor, founder, director, and chairman of public and private entities. Bob has significant experience in strategic planning and execution, capital allocation, leadership and management, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, domestic & cross border transactions, business functions and operations, enterprise risk management, corporate governance, and government and stakeholder relations. Before joining Enbridge, Bob was Managing Director of Rimrock Oil and Gas. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President, Corporate of Talisman Energy Inc., then served as Vice Chairman and director of Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc. In addition, Bob was a partner at Bennett Jones LLP where he was a member of the executive committee and co-leader of the Energy and Natural Resources Group.
Establishing a landmark agreement between Enbridge and 23 First Nation and Metis communities, whereby the communities acquired, collectively, an 11.57% non-operating interest in seven Enbridge-operated pipelines in northern Alberta for $1.12 billion. The newly created entity, Athabasca Indigenous Investments (AII), stewards this investment, which represents the largest energy-related Indigenous economic partnership transaction in North America to date.
Bob is Chair of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. He attended the University of Calgary, earned an LL.B. from Western University, is a member of the Law Society of Alberta and was awarded a King’s Counsel designation in 2012. He enjoys skiing, golf, racquet sports, fitness, reading and travel. Bob and Jean-Ann are blessed with 6 wonder-filled children.
Moderator: Paul Karchut
CBC Calgary
Paul Karchut is the host of Daybreak Alberta, the province’s weekend morning show on CBC Radio One.
A self-confessed radio nerd — Paul Karchut grew up on Vancouver Island, where CBC Radio was a mainstay in his family home.
Before taking over the reins on Daybreak Alberta, Paul was the director of the Calgary Eyeopener, having spent time as the associate producer and technician on the show. He brings his love of skiing and the outdoors to the airwaves with his weekly Real Ski Report and summer Outdoor Reports.
During his time at CBC Calgary, Paul has worked on many side projects including his role as CBC Radio's national car columnist with his weekly feature Karchut on Cars, six years of teaching broadcasting students at Mount Royal University, a stint with CBC Calgary's Filipino Bureau, and producing the Calgary Eyeopener's award-winning and groundbreaking "walking show" broadcasts. Paul’s first position was as a sound engineering assistant with CBC Vancouver, and he also spent time interning at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and the CBC Victoria bureau.