James Lavallée, a Métis man from Manitoba, has competed internationally for Canada in kayaking and canoeing. He's one of the recipients of the 2019 Indspire Awards. (Indspire Awards/Supplied) James Lavallée, 20, got the call about winning an Indspire Award after finishing kayak practice.
The Métis man from Manitoba who has competed internationally in canoeing and kayaking had heard of the Indspire Awards but didn't think his work was inspiring enough to earn one.
Lavallée is one of 12 recipients of Indspire Awards this year, which honour the education and achievement of First Nations, Métis and Inuit in Canada.
Though he isn't on the Canadian national team currently, he still represents Canada internationally — he most recently raced at the World University Championships in Hungary.
"It's pretty humbling, knowing that the committee and the organization thinks my story is just as inspiring and impactful for the community," Lavallée said.
Lavallée, who has dyslexia and ADHD, fell into kayaking because his parents were trying to find some extra-curricular activities to help him with his school struggles.
They tried many sports, including basketball, baseball and Ukranian dance (and he's not even Ukrainian). Lavallée liked water, but didn't like swimming. The only option remaining, he found, was the kayak.
He stuck with it. Focusing on kayaking also helped him stay focused in school and in a way, it helped him connect with his culture.
"The one thing I was doing is what my ancestors have been doing on the same river for thousands of years," Lavallée said.
"That piece really hit me later in life — that I was kind of acting out, in a way, a modern voyageur."
He wants to start a program that helps Indigenous kids get involved in canoeing and kayaking.
"A lot of cultural aspects and Indigenous aspects have been stripped away from the sport. I'd like to bring a lot of that back — and not necessarily have a competitive club, but to get people to start paddling again and to get people using the river in a traditional way," he said.
Dr. Marlyn Cook said she was stunned when she found out she was to receive an Indspire Award for her work as a family physician on reserve lands for 30 years.
Cook was on the board 25 years ago for the Indspire Awards, then called the Aboriginal Achievement Awards. Now it's full circle for the physician, who practises in her home community of Misipawistik Cree Nation in Manitoba.