Council of the Federation Literacy Award


The Council of the Federation  The Council of the Federation Literacy Award

Ontario’s Winner of the Council of the Federation Literacy Award, 2005

Rita Buffalo
Literacy Co-ordinator – Anishnawbe Skills Development Program
Thunder Bay, Ontario

The province of Ontario is pleased to announce that Rita Buffalo of Thunder Bay, Ontario, has been selected as this year’s recipient of Ontario’s Council of the Federation Literacy Award, 2005.

Rita Buffalo is an inspiration for many adult learners and educators. She overcame a very difficult childhood, moving from foster care to reform school and receiving little formal education. As an adult, she struggled with her childhood trauma, and turned to alcohol and drugs to help her cope. Lack of skills to find the help she needed resulted in a struggle with her addictions for 20 years.

Turning her life around, she began volunteering at the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre where she noticed they offered a literacy and basic skills class. It took six months for Ms. Buffalo to work up the courage to join the program and another six months before she spoke to anyone in her class.

After four years of hard work, Ms. Buffalo had improved her literacy skills to the point that she qualified for college admission. After being on the dean’s list for two years, Ms. Buffalo graduated with honours in 2002 from the Indigenous Wellness and Addictions Prevention Diploma Program at Confederation College.

Today Ms. Buffalo is a single mother with three children, ages 3, 14 and 23, living at home with her. Ms. Buffalo is proud of her accomplishments and of being able to support herself and her family through her current employment working out of the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre as a Literacy Co-ordinator for the Anishnawbe Skills Development Program. This is the same program that helped her improve her literacy skills. Ms. Buffalo loves her job helping adults gain literacy skills and believes this will become her life’s work. Ms. Buffalo’s colleagues believe her experiences make her a living example and powerful inspiration for other adult literacy learners.

Ms. Buffalo is a long-standing board member with the National Indigenous Literacy Association. In this role, she has met with members of Parliament and the Senate, and has spoken at public events as a champion for the cause of adult learners and aboriginal literacy. She was also a member of the planning committee for the National Aboriginal Literacy Training Institute, which was held last year in London, Ontario.

Ontario’s Selection Committee

A selection committee of individuals involved in literacy programs across Ontario evaluated the applications and had the tough job of choosing just one nominee to receive the award. Ontario would like to acknowledge and recognize our panel of judges who had the very difficult task of selecting a winner amongst the very high caliber of nominations received.

In Ontario, the Award recipient was selected by a panel of four judges: Raymond Day, Donald Gratton, Irene Harris and Gary Jacobs.

  • Raymond Day is the Executive Assistant to the Assistant Deputy Minister, French-Language Education and Educational Operations Division, in the Ministry of Education. Mr. Day has a long history working in the literacy field. For eight years he served as the Literacy Co-ordinator in the Literacy and Basic Skills Unit, Workplace Preparation Branch of the former Ministry of Education and Training. As such, he advised the Ministry on literacy and adult education issues.
  • Donald Gratton is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Ecomuseum in Hearst, Ontario since 1991. Mr. Gratton is a long-time literacy advocate and is Past President of Féderations canadiennes pour l'alphabétisation en français. In 1998, Mr. Gratton was awarded Canada Post’s Education Literacy Award for establishing a literacy program in Hearst.
  • Irene Harris has served as Executive Vice-President of the Ontario Federation of Labour since 1997. In this position, she is the Officer responsible for literacy, apprenticeship, training, youth, education, arts and labour, social services, disability rights and health care. Ms. Harris has been involved in the labour movement and community activism for more than 30 years.
  • Gary Jacobs is a Senior Policy Advisor with the Ontario Secretariat for Aboriginal Affairs. As such, Mr. Jacobs analyses policy issues that affect Aboriginal communities across Ontario. Mr. Jacobs is active in his community, formerly serving as a member of the Board of Directors of Touch the Sky Business Development Centre and the Pine Tree Friendship Centre.
  • Visit the Council of the Federation website to see a list of winners from all the provinces and territories

If you have any questions or comments, please send us an email at COFaward@edu.gov.on.ca.