The King Carles III Coronation Award
Veronica Marshall-Bernard is a Mi’kmaq leader at Potlotek in mental health; her work extends throughout diverse Canadian communities and she recently won a King Charles III Coronation Award. Members of this select group receiving this honour “Have made a signficant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region or community of Canada, or have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada”.
Veronica’s Connection to Cabot Shores
During all 4 seasons, Cabot Shores has hosted a number of retreats. Most recently they were sponsored by the Potlotek Health Group and Mi’kmaq Council.
During late fall, Veronica participated in 3 Women’s Moose hunting retreats in the Cape Breton Highlands, using Cabot Shores as a jump off base camp. We got to know Veronica over the years during these retreats. Veronica was one of the women who shot a moose which was butchered at Potlotek, shared with the elders and the greater community.
Suicide Prevention & The Forest of Hope
Later we were invited by Veronica Bernard to attend the initiation of the Forest of Hope. Veronica, besides being a counselor at NS Health, (and a good shot) is also the co-vice president of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and a speaker throughout Canada on the lived experience of loss by suicide. She says that her life long mission is to help others impacted by suicide. This organization selects a location for a conference and during this conference sponsors a tree planting event honouring people remembering friends, relatives and community members who died by suicide. The trees are planted in such a way as to form a “Forest of Hope” in each community hosting the conference.
Besides doing the work with Suicide Prevention, Veronica has been working at Potlotek and before that, at Eskasoni, helping to created Adult Community Programs as well as being a practicing Clinical Therapist (Mental Health and Addictions)
We cherish our connection with Veronica Marshall-Bernard and congratulate her, as well as her wonderful family and community, for this award.