TIMMINS - A local entrepreneur has been nominated for a prestigious provincial award.
Vanessa Génier, founder and CEO of Quilts for Survivors, has been nominated for the Premier’s Awards 2024 in the business category by Northern College. The awards recognize outstanding contributions by college graduates in Ontario, with Génier being one of 17 nominees in her category.
“As an alumna of Northern, it was nice to have them recognize the work that I'm doing now in relation to the education that I received from that institution,” she said.
Génier, a member of the Missanabie Cree First Nation, graduated from Northern College in 2021 with diplomas in business and office administration and human resources management.
She emphasized the significance of her work as an Indigenous business owner, particularly in inspiring other Indigenous women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.
“For a long time, our government didn’t view Indigenous women as people. It took us longer to get the right to vote, and if you married a non-Indigenous person, you lost your status,” Génier said.
“Now, that has changed, but for a long time, we weren’t viewed as citizens of this country and were treated differently. It’s important to honour the skills and abilities of Indigenous women in whatever career they choose to pursue.”
Through her work with Quilts for Survivors, Génier aims to provide healing and support to residential school survivors. She hopes her efforts inspire others to incorporate cultural elements into their business ventures, whether for-profit or not-for-profit.
Launched in 1992, the Premier’s Awards honour graduates across seven categories: business, community services, creative arts and design, health sciences, recent graduates, skilled trades, and science, technology, and engineering.
In addition to Génier, Northern College has nominated three other graduates for the 2024 awards: Lynne Innes, president and CEO of the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA), in the health sciences category, Ariel Dougan, owner of Golden Girls Grooming, in the recent graduate category and Jeff Molyneaux, “a leader in welding and engineering,” in the science, technology and engineering category.
One of Northern College’s 2023 nominees, Christina Kioke, won the Premier’s Award in the recent graduate category.
SEE: Premier’s Award: Christina Kioke supports Indigenous students
Génier is attending the award ceremony on Nov. 25 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.