Involvement in the Aboriginal Community

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The Jim Bourque Connection

The Halifax Group had virtually no involvement with Aboriginal people until Jim Bourque attended a company picnic in June 1994. Born into a Cree and Metis family in Wandering River, Alberta in 1935, the Honourable James Bourque P.C. was at the time of his introduction to The Halifax Group, the co-director of policy for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People. Jim’s commitment to public service started early when he was elected president of the hunter and trapper association in Fort Chipewyan when he was eighteen. Following a term as the park warden in Wood Buffalo National Park, Jim served as chairman of the Metis Association of the Northwest Territories, founded, and served as chair of, the Fur Institute of Canada, chaired the Northwest Territories Constitutional Committee, and held the position of Deputy Minister Renewable Resources for the NWT government. On July 1, 1992, Jim was sworn into the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada.

A life time activist and promoter of Aboriginal values and traditional knowledge, Jim was also a cosmopolitan, world traveler, interested in the benefits which science and technology might provide to Canadian Aboriginals. In January 1995, The Halifax Group and Jim’s family incorporated Transpolar Technology Corporation to pursue, at that time, non-traditional Aboriginal business opportunities.

The Jim Bourque Scholarship

Jim died suddenly in Ottawa in October 1996. In 1997, the government of the Northwest Territories and Transpolar Technology Corporation jointly funded a scholarship to honour Jim’s memory. Administered by the Arctic Institute of North America, University of Calgary, every year the scholarship provides a single award of $1,000 to a deserving Aboriginal student. The selection committee includes three members: a representative of the Bourque family, a representative of the NWT government, and a representative of The Halifax Group.

The “Other” Scholarship

As the years passed, the quality of the applications increased to the extent that the determination of a winner was often based on barely discernable differences, leaving some very deserving applicants empty handed. Realizing that an award of $1,000 might ensure continuing the pursuit of higher education, The Halifax Group and Transpolar Technology Corporation implemented a discretionary matching grant program, based on the same criteria as The Jim Bourque Scholarship.

The Jim Bourque Scholarship Winners

1998	Jayda Mercredi	Native Studies, University of Saskatchewan	Saskatoon, SK
1999	Stephen Watkinson	Fisheries Center, University of British Columbia	Vancouver, BC
2000	Lana Lowe	Geography, University of Victoria	Victoria, BC
2001	Jeff Rouse	Environmental Studies and Law, York University	Toronto, ON
2002	Jeff Rouse	Environmental Studies and Law, York University	Toronto, ON
2003	Jeff Rouse	Environmental Studies and Law, York University	Toronto, ON
2004	Christopher C. Clarke	Environmental Design, University of Calgary	Calgary, AB
2005	Tina Benoit	School of Environment and Sustainability at Royal Roads University	Victoria, BC
2006	David O’Soup	College of Education, University of Saskatchewan	Saskatoon, SK
2007	David O’Soup	College of Education, University of Saskatchewan	Saskatoon, SK
2008	Jarrett Nevill	Biological Sciences, University of Alberta	Edmonton, AB

The Halifax Group/Transpolar Technology Corporation Grant recipients

2003	Christopher Clarke
2003	Leah Dorion
2004	Lana Lowe
2004	Christina Gruben
2004	Tina Benoit
2004	Johanne McCarthy
2004	Vezina Brandi
2006	Christina Gruben
2006	Janessa Nevill
2006	Jarett Nevill
2009	Leanna Farr
2009	Shane Dubyk
2009	Stephanie Judge