Nancy Vystrcil - President

Nancy Vystrcil is a registered nurse with over 25 years experience providing holistic nursing care in Northern MB. Recently retired as a Public Heath Nurse from the Northern Regional Health Authority in Thompson, MB; she appreciates the experiences in providing expertise in public health care delivery but even more, in sharing knowledge and learning from the people of the North. Much of her nursing career focused on advocacy and care for indigenous and socially constructed disadvantaged  populations and in assuring gaps and barriers to health care were addressed at all opportunities.The last ten years working as the Coordinator for the STBBI/Harm Reduction Program for NRHA has provided her with greater understanding and appreciation for the importance of trauma informed practice as it relates to improving well being and health outcomes throughout the lifespan. She has coordinated and participated in several health networks at local, regional, and provincial levels. She is considered a strong leader and voice with all health-related initiatives she has been privileged to be involved with. These include initiatives in areas such as: Maternal/Child Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Mental Health and Addictions, HIV care and support, Health Research and Harm Reduction. She’s been actively involved in creating and building partnerships and collaborations within several sectors serving the North. Nancy is a member of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation. Her and her partner live in Thompson. She is a mother of two daughters and grandmother of three wonderful grandchildren.

Daniel Hidalgo - vice president

Daniel is a single father to an 8-year-old boy and foster parent to an 18-year-old extended care youth. He is the lifetime product of the child welfare system. Currently, Daniel is employed as an action therapist, where his focus is on the advocacy and support of indigenous kids in care. He has always been employed in the human/social services field. He was also briefly a fire paramedic for the city of Winnipeg and has been actively involved in many of our cities altruistic group in a leadership capacity as a volunteer captain/medic. These groups include Mama Bear Clan, OPK, and Drag the Red. 

Very recently Daniel created his own grassroots non-profit volunteer group called “CommUNITY204”. The group is composed almost entirely of youth and adults that have been, or currently are in CFS. Their goal is helping the marginalized community with access to basic human needs (water, appropriate clothing, hygiene products and food), harm reduction / minimization, assurance of safety (through crisis intervention, peacekeeping, safe walks, and search parties), Collaboration with other groups with the same mission (Thunderbirdz, OPK, Anishiative, MBC, BLM) relocation of residency, and furniture donations/pick-ups. Most recently Daniel was fortunate enough to be awarded as a finalist for the 2020 CBC Manitoba Future 40, amongst the top selection for the Social Activism Volunteerism Category.

Simret Daniel

Simret Daniel is originally from East Africa. She arrived in Canada about 13 years ago. As a newcomer (new Canadian), a person who has lived a refugee life, a person who loves to voluntarily support underserved communities, understands the influence of social determinants of health on health and well-being. She is interested in fighting structural racism and health inequities. She is a nurse by training and a community developer at heart. 

Simret is the Knowledge into Action (KiA) project coordinator at Sexuality Education Resource Centre Manitoba (SERC) which focuses on working with African newcomer communities around the issues of STBBIs & Stigma and prevention. There, she works in a community based approach with the formal and informal community leaders, community resource people, people affected by STBBIs, stigma and discrimination. Simret is also Our Selves Our Daughters' (OSOD) project facilitator. There, she works through a community based approach to addressing Female Genital Cutting within the immigrant context in Canada. Simret also sits on the board of Coalition of Manitoba Cultural Communities for Families Inc.

Leslie Spillett

I have taught my daughters that we are sent here to help one another to live a good life and I strive to integrate that into my actions. I know that everyone is a teacher and I have had a great honour to work with our community to learn about the power of our pipe teachings as a guide to be in relationship with all of creation.

Having a critical race and anti oppression analysis have also been important to my growth and understanding and it is a fundamental to Harm Reduction work.  

Knowledge Keeper – Ongomiizwin Indigenous Institute of Health & Healing, Rady Centre of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba 

Wachay - Giizhigooweyaabikwe – Painted Sky Woman

Mukwa Doodum – Bear Clan

Cree/Metis

Sundancer – Gathering of the Sacred Pipes – Pipestone MN, Sprucewoods (Blacksmith)

Louis Gandier

As a Black, non-binary, trans person, I have had to navigate within oppressive systems my entire life and therefore understand the importance of personal autonomy, safety, and being included. I have extensive experience in working in the nonprofit arts sector. Previously with ArtsJunktion and Central Neighbourhoods. I now work with New Directions where I provide support and harm reduction resources to community members as well as connecting community members with other collaborating organizations. With the cultural lens that I have, I am able to interact with my community ethically through harm reduction and without judgment.

Victor mondaca

Victor Mondaca is a proud Indigenous Mapuche with ancestry from Chile.

Since so many similarities exist between the Mapuche and the North American Indigenous peoples’s culture and history, Victor relates to, learns from, and connects with his North American Indigenous relatives on a cultural and spiritual level.

Victor is employed as the Manager of Training and Development with SABE peacewalkers.

He takes his work very seriously and considers it not only as a career but as his calling. He believes that cultural safety and trauma informed care amongst both service providers and advocates are of utmost importance.

Currently, he is working on completing a certificate in Applied Counseling with a specialization in Addictions through the University of Manitoba.

Victor is a passionate advocate and service provider with both lived firsthand experience with substance use and substance dependency, as well as front line involvement working with individuals who use substances. He believes wholeheartedly in the importance of harm reduction, recognizing that abstinence may be neither a realistic or a desirable goal for some users, and in such cases, the main focus should be placed on reducing harm while use continues. He believes that harm reduction is founded on kindness and compassion, and is a realistic, humane, person centred, and successful approach to addressing issues of substance use.

Naomi Sirota

Naomi Sirota (pronouns she/her/elle); identifies as a Queer Femme Survivor who lives, work and volunteers in and around Winnipeg, Manitoba. Originally from Vancouver, BC; she has made Manitoba her home since the late 1990s and is working to decolonialize her mind, heart, and day-to- day work in the community (not easy but necessary). She currently works in the community as a registered psychiatric nurse in the North End. Her board of director experience includes: the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Manitoba (CRPNM) (2015-2017), North End Womens Centre (2017 to 2022) and she is currently Co-Director of Project Safe Audience, a non-profit peer led organization of people who use drugs at festivals, raves and participate in alternative lifestyles. When she not acting in any of these capacities, she hangs out with her cats, paints, and drinks coffee.

Elsie-Ann Hogue

Interlake- Eastern RHA for 10+ years as an Admin Assistant for Public Health & Wellness. Worked as a Harm Reduction Coordinator for MHRN in the Ashern/ Eriksdale area. Co-Chair for the Northwest Interlake Harm Reduction Network.

I am a sister, mother, partner, daughter, Auntie and Memere who has lived in the Northwest Interlake almost my entire life....I am strongly connected to the land and the people who live here.