Two North Vancouver women are being recognized with an award of distinction for their achievements and commitment to community well-being.<\/p>\n
Shannon Salter, head of BC Public Service and deputy minister to Premier David Eby, and Amy Parent (Sigidimna\u1e35\u2019 Noxs Ts\u2019aawit), associate professor and the Canada research chair in Indigenous Education and Governance at Simon Fraser University, are recipients of the 43rd annual YWCA BC Women of Distinction Awards.<\/p>\n
The awards celebrate individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions to the community, fostering the well-being, strength and future of the Lower Mainland, the YWCA BC said in a press release. This year, 13 women and one business received the recognition. They were officially honoured at a gala event May 7 in Vancouver.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an incredible honour,\u201d Salter said. \u201cThis one really stands out because of how community-minded it is and how focused it is on giving back. So to be recognized for community service and contribution is really special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Salter took home the award in the Business and the Professions category and has a large portfolio of public service work under her belt.<\/p>\n
She leads BC Public Service, which serves 39,000 members by providing programs, services and policy expertise in areas like education, health care, public safety and environmental management. On top of public service, she advises the premier on policy issues, Salter said.<\/p>\n
Before that Salter served as the deputy attorney general, becoming one of the youngest in the province\u2019s history to hold the position at age 45. During her time, she implemented the Indigenous Justice Strategy<\/a>, which helps Indigenous communities have more \u201cinvolvement in the local administration of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n At first, Salter was nervous taking on the role.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially for women, there can be a real tendency to have an imposter complex when you\u2019re asked to serve in these really big roles, especially ones that had historically been occupied by men or people older,\u201d she said. \u201cBut then I quickly came to understand how important it is that the makeup of BC Public Service reflects the people that we serve in British Columbia.\u201d<\/p>\n Now 48, Salter was also founding chair of the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal, Canada\u2019s first online tribunal, where she helped launch technology that made justice more accessible. She has also been named to Business in Vancouver\u2019s BC500 and Vancouver Magazine\u2019s Power 50.<\/p>\n As for Parent, she said she was speechless when her name was called for the award.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does mean a lot to be able to accept an award like this,\u201d Parent said. \u201cAs Indigenous women, we don\u2019t do this work alone. It\u2019s based on our collectivity, and it takes generations for many of us to be placed in the spaces that we are in right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Parent is a member of the Nisga\u2019a Nation, located in northwestern B.C., and received the distinction award under the reconciliation category.<\/p>\n She led a rematriation delegation for the return of a Nisga\u2019a totem pole from the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, and the Ni\u2019isjoohl memorial pole was brought back to the Nass Valley in September, 2023. The pole was commissioned by Parent\u2019s ancestral grandmother Joanna Moody in the 1860s honouring Ts\u2019aawit, an ancestor \u201cwho fell defending their family and nation\u2019s sovereignty<\/a>.\u201d In 2024, Parent’s work on the pole was recognized as she earned Academic of the Year honours from the Confederation of the University Faculty Associations of B.C.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of my acceptance speech was honouring her and her amazing spirit and strength that has really helped to get me to the place where I\u2019m at,\u201d she said about her grandmother. \u201cShe was an amazingly strong woman.\u201d<\/p>\n Today, Parent wears many hats, including as an associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Education and Governance in SFU\u2019s education faculty. She is also United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) co-chair in Indigenous knowledge research governance and rematriation, and also serves as co-chair on Canada\u2019s federal Tri-Agency Indigenous Research Leadership Circle.<\/p>\n Event chair Juggy Sihota said this year\u2019s recipients are leaders in the truest sense.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are mentors and mothers, builders and bridgemakers, women who show up for their communities long before anyone thinks to thank them,\u201d Sihota said. \u201cWhat inspires me most is not only what they have accomplished, but how they have carried themselves along the way: with grace, grit and a deep belief that lifting others up is the whole point. \u201c<\/p>\n The full list of YWCA BC’s Women of Distinction recipients can be found on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n