New Canadian ambassador hails from St. Vital

St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/09/2023 (1055 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I love fall… the colours, the crisp air, and so much more.

An especially exciting thing just happened to someone I know this fall… my nephew, Laird Hindle, who grew up in St. Vital and attended high school at Collège Jeanne-Sauvé, was recently named the Canadian ambassador to the Republic of Estonia. As I write this, he is preparing to leave Canada to take on this impressive post. How cool is that?

Laird joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1999. He has served as deputy director in the development policy and institutions division, the international assistance policy co-ordination division, and the Eastern and Southern Africa division. Overseas he has served in Nairobi, Kenya, and Tokyo, Japan.

This is Canada’s first ambassadorial appointment to Estonia and is part of the expansion of Canada’s diplomatic presence in central and eastern Europe.

“With this first appointment, we continue to advance Canada’s strategic diplomatic presence in the Baltic states,” said Mélanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Estonia borders Russia on the east and Latvia to the south and west. Tallinn, its capital, lies across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki.

The world of international affairs never stands still. Look for further updates here on Laird’s experiences once he is settled in his new home. For now, I hope you join me in wishing him good luck in his new post.

☐ ☐ ☐

On Sept. 16, 140 people attended the St. Vital Museum’s fundraising barbecue — the largest one-day attendance since I became involved with the museum. I want to thank the people who attended, our volunteers, and those who donated door prizes. We are proud of our local museum and were happy to show it off to so many people.

Attendees were welcomed to the event heard recorded music from St. Vital musicians such as The Guess Who, Ray St. Germain, Lenny Breau and others.

Funds were generated, new members signed on, and we kicked off the campaign to sell our 2024 calendar. This calendar is filled with old pictures of St. Vital and would make a great gift or stocking stuffer. Please consider buying some copies for your friends and family and supporting the museum at the same. Copies can be ordered for only $5 by stopping in to the museum on Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., calling the museum at 204-255-2864, or emailing info@svhs.ca. The calendar will be ready for pick up or delivery at the beginning of November.

And one more thing…the museum requires a few more volunteers. Anyone like to volunteer to help us with our web site? Please reach out if you do.

I wonder what other excitement awaits us this fall? We will enjoy whatever comes our way!