The Senator Jenny Spyglass Outdoor Arena was officially celebrated with a ribbon-cutting this week in North Battleford.

The Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan, Dr. Kathy Walker was pleased to be able to attend the event honouring Spyglass and her contributions to community.

While I have personally not known Senator Jenny Spyglass for very long, she has been a valuable member of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner kihtehayak Council since the fall of 2022. In that short time, Senator Spyglass’ contributions to the OTC and our kihtehayah Council show someone who exemplifies what it means to be a residential school thriver.

In 2019, Senator Spyglass made history as the first woman appointed to the Battlefords Agency Tribal Council and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Senate. She is the former chief, and a long-time councillor of Mosquito Grizzly Bear’s Head Lean Man First Nation. She is also a Pow Wow dancer.

Spyglass retained her nehiyawewin language, and while she is incredibly eloquent in both Cree and English, she has said she regrets not speaking Assiniboine fluently as well.

As a residential school thriver, she has used the loss and pain she experienced as fuel to motivate her to help others and ensure no other child or person has to go through what she went through. She truly embodies the idea that Every Child Matters and teaches others to do the same.

She is a force at all of our Elders councils and OTC meetings. She is famous for standing up to a group who wanted to prevent the sharing of First Nations Treaty teachings.

In that situation, Elder Spyglass explained that as result of residential school, she had to re-learn Treaty teachings and was grateful that resources were available to her to learn and that Elders shared their knowledge. She stated in no uncertain terms that these teachings would continue. Her point was made so eloquently that no other Elder felt the need to speak on the matter.

I hear also that Elder Spyglass also has the distinction on the Elders Council of always being the best dressed kihtehayah at our councils, and in fact is usually the best dressed person in any room.

The Senator Jenny Spyglass Outdoor Arena is the perfect name for a space that will help children, youth and the community thrive in athletics; in recreation; and grow and learn together.

In honouring Senator Spyglass with the naming of this space, I feel her life and contributions honour us all and I look forward to working with and learning from Senator Sypglass and watching this honour continue to grow.

Read more about the opening: Ribbon cutting officially opens the Senator Jenny Spyglass Outdoor Arena