Portage's Indigenous Coordinator with Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) looks back in 2019 as a significant year for his role.

"This office started in PCRC in January of last year," says Cornell Pashe. "Originally, I started out at the city in September of 2018. That position was the result of how the City of Portage la Prairie recognized that there was a need to engage the urban Indigenous and the surrounding area."

He notes they set out to establish an Indigenous council that was to look at priorities, seeing there was 60 per cent of the population living off-reserve, and 23 per cent of Portage is Indigenous. Pashe says this showed a need to collaborate and build bridges. They meet on a regular basis with various service groups to help and identify where Indigenous residents can participate. 

"Portage is welcoming for all of that and we were able to do the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls walk," adds Pashe. "It was one of the first times we were able to do that. We participated in Aboriginal Day, in Canada Day, and in many opening prayers."