Peggy Day

About Peggy:

Peggy is currently a Community Outreach Coordinator for Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC). She has worked for the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) for the past 14 years. While at IRC she provided her expertise to divisions such as the Human Resource Department and Community Wellness. With a degree in both psychology and counselling providing a foundation of knowledge, Peggy has assisted the Mental Health Working Group in Inuvik as well as being a Board Member for the Inuvik Homeless Shelter. In 2018, Peggy received the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s (ITK) and the IRC community volunteer award.

She is Inuvialuit born and raised in the NWT. Peggy is a beloved mother of 7 and Nanuk (Grandmother) to 11. In the past she has worked with various governments, but her driving passion is helping and working with the Inuvialuit. A larger motivator in Peggy’s work is helping her people navigate the world while finding their own voice.

Mary Cockney

About Mary:

Mary is currently employed as an Environmental Monitor with the Inuvialuit Land Administration. Her professional journey has also included working at the Inuvik Warming Centre beginning as a Resident Support Worker and then becoming the Executive Director at this organization from 2017-2020. Prior to these experiences, Mary was an Alcohol & Drug Counsellor/Coordinator for the Tuk Alcohol Center, worked for the Young Offenders Group Home and Children’s Group Home, and volunteered as a Board Member for the Inuvik Transition House Society. These positions have allowed her to gain experiencing working with diverse populations.

Mary has education with Suicide Prevention and Counselling providing a knowledge that led to her drive to be a voice for the homeless population.  She recognizes the first to step to end issues, such as homelessness, is to acknowledge every human being with a smile and a voice that needs to be heard.

Tommy Betsidea

About Tommy:

For the last five years, Tommy has been a member on the council for the Deline Got’ine Government. He was also a councillor for the Deline Dene Band as well as on the Deline Land Corporation Board of Directors. As a council member for the Deline Got’ine Government Tommy has been able to help the community in their self-government transition. He was a part of the GNWT and Deline Got’ine Government signing an intergovernmental memorandum of understanding, which bridges lines of communication for these governments.

Tommy has spent most of his life living in Deline. He has a drive to lower poverty in the North especially with respects to food security whilst providing representation from a small community. Deline Got’ine Government supports two community harvests, one occurring in the fall and one in the winter. Tommy participates in one of these harvesting events annually. He provides knowledge on harvesting and on the land programming to the Anti-Poverty Advisory Committee.  He is also working towards the community procuring a new meat processing plant and community freezers to increase food sustainability within Deline. Tommy understands a mutli-pronged approach needs to be taken to address poverty in the North. He works to address factors of each Anti-Poverty Pillar in his many roles within the community.  

Judi Tutcho

About Judi:

Judi has 16 years of experience working in the field of education, including 5 years as a school principle. She has worked for the Government of the Northwest Territories for many years working in positions such as a Director for the NWT Housing Corporation, a probation officer, and the Sahtu Regional Manager for Income Support. This work has been supported with Judi’s two university degrees, which are in Education and another one in Social Work. She also has knowledge from completing courses such as Coaching for Success, Mental Health First Aid, ASIST-suicide first aid intervention, and Certified Service Professional training.

Judi joined the Anti-Poverty Advisory Committee to help pave how we as a society can assist in poverty reduction for the people of the North. She is a compassionate leader with extensive experience working with vulnerable populations in her counselling practices. Judi can speak, read and write in the North Slavey Language. She has spent her time volunteering with Norman Wells Community Garden, Inuvik Community Garden, Indigenous Student Resources Support and was a Deline Got’ine Board Member.

Ruby Jumbo 

About Ruby:

Ruby is the Senior Administrative Officer for Sambaa K’e First Nation. She has spent many years representing her small community and now provides this representation on the Anti-Poverty Advisory Committee. Ruby has been involved in many successes for her community and regularly works on developing traditional programming. She was the Band Manager when Sambaa K’e officially reclaimed their communities traditional name. Ruby has assisted with the summary report Living with Disability… Living with Dignity, which is a needs assessment of persons with disabilities in the NWT. She also was an advocate for the Water and Social Well-being in the Northwest Territories research project completely by the University of Waterloo.

In 2009 Ruby was awarded a Wise Woman Award from the Status of Women Council of the NWT. This award recognizes strong women who are dedicated to improving the lives of women and are noted as female role models for their community. Ruby has worked to support the Sambaa K’e First Nation in many roles and often advocates for incorporating traditional practices into the workplace.

Marilyn Hardisty

About Marilyn:

Marilyn has worked in multiple locations around the NWT including Fort Simpson, Yellowknife, and Jean Marie River. Some professional titles she has held include Project Officer for the Status of Women Council of the NWT, Assessment Officer for the Mine Training Society and Information Officer for the Dehcho First Nations. Her educational background includes many accomplishments such as a Certificate in Business Administration, completion of an Arts and Science program, and a Certificate in Peer Conflict Resolution for Students and Families. Marilyn’s most recent position included being a Program Coordinator for Jean Marie River First Nation. Marilyn retired in 2018 but remains extremely active in her community. She formerly lived in Yellowknife but in 2011 she returned to her hometown of Jean Marie River. She is actively a Jean Marie River Band Councillor and provides small community representation on our committee.

Her motivation to return home was to be closer to her family. Family is a big driver for Marilyn, and she has one daughter of her own. Marilyn lives her life with empathy. She has firsthand lived experience growing up in a widowed single parent household that experienced financial troubles. This has helped motivate Marilyn to become a member of the Anti-Poverty Advisory Committee. Here she can be an advocate and voice for other struggling individuals.

Pat Martel

About Pat:

We are honoured to have the wisdom of our Elder, Pat Martel, on the Anti-Poverty Advisory Committee. Pat was the 8^th chief of Kátł’odeeche First Nation and his granddaughter is the current chief. He also spent many years as a councillor for KFN. He is an active member of his community and participates in passing down traditional knowledge in culture, language, and on-the-land activities. Pat has helped with the creation and overseeing wellness activities at the Dene Wellness Centre that opened in 2019 and provides traditional healing opportunities.

In 2021 Pat was awarded with NWT Recreation and Park Associations Elder Award for his commitment to being in a leader in his community as well as engaging community members in a healthy lifestyle. Pat values cultural spirituality, practices traditional medicine and has knowledge on hunting and trapping for food. He is instrumental in traditional ceremonies and encouraging youth to engage in on the land activities.

Arlene Hache

About Arlene:

Arlene was a founding member of the Yellowknife Women’s Society and worked as its Executive Director for more than 25 years. She helped establish the Yellowknife Women’s Centre in 1990 and the Centre for Northern Families in 2005. She also was a founding member of the Coalition Against Family Violence and the Yellowknife Housing Coalition. Arlene is a published author. One item she co-authored is an Indigenous Cultural-linguistic Competency Framework and then assisted in establishing an Elders Council with members from each First Nation in the Territory and the Temiskaming Métis Community Council to guide its implementation. She was a member of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the NWT Status of Women Council. She remains a member of the National Advisory Council on Poverty and the Women's National Housing and Homelessness Network.

Arlene has an academic background which includes a Masters in Leadership as well as being trained to facilitate groups and to deliver specialized workshops on a variety of topics like Mental Health First Aid, MBTI, and Trauma-informed Practice. This combines with her lived experiences of poverty and homelessness providing her an in depth understanding of its long-term impacts on the health and wellness of individuals and families.  Some recognized awards Arlene has received include: the Order of Canada in 2009, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and was honoured in a star blanket ceremony hosted by the District of Temiskaming Elders Council in 2018.

Zain Ali

About Zain:

Zain is the Education Program Manager for Ecology North, the Camp Connections Director for the Foster Family Coalition of the NWT, and the Quality Assurance Manager for Home Base Yellowknife. He has past experiences as an Education Assistant with the YK1 School District in Yellowknife as well as being a Care Manager with Home Care Assistance Edmonton for individuals of varying ability including seniors/elders, many of whom had been affected by poverty. Zain has volunteer experience as a board executive for The Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife and the NWT Creative Collective. This work is supported by an educational background that includes a diploma in Avionics Engineering Technology, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Anthropology, and training in trauma sensitive approaches.

Zain strives to provide equity and opportunities to those that experience poverty and a lack of support systems. His clientele has included many children and individuals in care facing the effects of poverty inspiring him to pursue social advocacy.  Zain has also conducted research in the past that has been nationally recognized through a governing body. He provides a youth perspective to the Anti-Poverty Advisory Committee.