Neighbourhood 'an inspiration'

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Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean with Premier Greg Selinger and neighbour­hood children at a ceremonial planting of an oak tree to mark the naming of a park in her honour.

Michaëlle Jean returned to one of her favourite Canadian neighbourhoods Wednesday to thank its residents for inspiring a nation.

On a visit that will be her last to Winnipeg as Governor General, Jean spent most of the day in North Point Douglas -- talking to kids at the Graffiti Gallery, lunching on braised elk shank, speaking (and listening intently) to community residents at a town hall-style meeting and presiding over the naming of a city park in her honour.

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Viewing a statue of the Queen near Government House with Lt.-Gov. Philip Lee and his wife Anita. (KEN.GIGLIOTTI@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)

"You are an inspiration to the nation," she told the more than 200 community residents and activists who jammed the tiny Norquay Community Centre along with such dignitaries as Mayor Sam Katz, his rival in this fall's civic election, Judy Wasylycia-Leis, and several provincial MLAs and cabinet ministers.

Jean's love affair with Point Douglas began three years ago when she met several grades 5 and 6 students from Norquay School who read to her a poignant letter they had written about the grim realities of living in the inner-city community. They told the Queen's representative they didn't feel safe in a neighbourhood in which they were constantly threatened and where the streets were littered with drug needles, shotgun shells and broken glass.

The letter inspired the police and government officials to help local activists tackle the community's formidable problems head-on. One technique they used was to establish a Power Line in which tips could be passed on to police and landlords anonymously. Before long, 32 crack houses were shut down and crime plunged a whopping 70 per cent.

Jean has kept in touch with Point Douglas's progress and extols the community's successes in speeches across the country and around the world.

On Wednesday, she told community residents they had inspired her to establish a foundation that will support and empower a national network of youth organizations across Canada -- particularly institutions like the Graffiti Gallery on Higgins Avenue, a youth centre that uses art as a tool for community development and social change.

The Michaëlle Jean Foundation, to be headquartered in Ottawa, will be the Governor General's legacy project, an aide said.

On Wednesday, at the Graffiti Gallery, Jean viewed the kids' art projects, chatting animatedly with several of them, including 15-year-old Katie Henderson, one of the former Norquay School students who helped write the letter that inspired the community -- and its love affair with Jean.

"You really lighted the fire. You did, with your words," Jean told the nervous teen, stroking her hair, while a crush of reporters and camera operators pressed as close to them as the Governor General's staff and security detail would allow. "Good for you. I'm proud of you. I'm so proud of you."

An aide to Jean said it's "rare" but "not unique" for Jean to spend a half-dozen hours in a single neighbourhood while on tour. She said, however, Jean developed a close bond with Point Douglas during her earlier visit three years ago.

The Queen's representative concludes her five-year term next month. She will be succeeded by David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo.

Jean began her two-day Winnipeg tour with an early morning stop at Government House, where she met Lt.-Gov. Philip Lee and his wife Anita.

She also met Premier Greg Selinger at the Manitoba Legislative Building and together they viewed an original Magna Carta, dating back to 1217, now on display down the hall from the premier's office.

While posing for photos at Government House, Lee told Jean he was delighted at her appointment to the viceregal post five years ago. He noted that both he and Jean were born outside of Canada -- Jean arrived as a refugee from Haiti in 1968 while Lee moved here from Hong Kong in 1962.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 26, 2010 A3