My name is Robin Walker. I was born and raised on Treaty 7 Territory and have lived in the City of Lethbridge, or Sikoohkotoki, “Black Rock,” for most of my life. While living in Lethbridge has had its ups and downs, I like it here, and I hope that you do too. However, I also believe that it can be better. Just as my own life has been a journey of personal development and self-discovery, I hope to contibute to our community’s growth and development in such a way that it inspires others – either to want to live here themselves, or to contribute similarly to their own communities.
So who am I? As with everyone else alive today, my story begins long before I was born, and I’m only going to touch in on the gist of that here. I am descended of Red River Métis (with mostly Cree and Ojibwe indigenous and early French and Scottish settler heritage) and immigrants from Iceland. I was adopted as an infant and raised by third-generation Canadians of Ukranian and Scottish-German descent. Many stories and lifetimes converged to make mine possible, which I didn’t always appreciate. I was born in the Foothills Hospital in Calgary and lived the early years of my life in the Crowsnest Pass. My family moved to Lethbridge while I was still in preschool, and I’ve lived in the area since.
Lethbridge has seen a number of changes over the many years since I first began my life here, expanding geographically, and the population has diversified and nearly doubled – currently estimated to be over 110,000 residents! However, I acknowledge that the city’s growth is not without challenges, Lethbridge is certainly facing a number of them. Despite that, I believe we can leverage our strengths and diversity to overcome these challenges and become an inspiration to communities across the country. If you think so too, or are at least hopeful, I hope you’ll follow along here or on my social media and explore the possibilities with me.
Robin Walker 