Gerald Mattinas grew up working traplines with his elders along the rivers and in the forests of Northern Ontario, near the southwestern shores of James Bay. Today, he sits in the Esquesing Neighbourhood at The Village of Ridgeview Court, gazing west toward the Niagara Escarpment.
Gerald was among 11 elders who were proactively evacuated from their northern communities as rising waters threatened spring flooding.
Travelling south is not new to Gerald and his neighbours. Spring flooding is a familiar reality in the North as ice-filled rivers thaw and swell on their way to James Bay. It is also common for community members to travel to cities like Ottawa or Kingston to access medical care, and Gerald has made many such journeys over the years.
Such is the reality of life in the Far North, but Gerald speaks of his home with deep affection.
“When I think of my life as a kid, it was the best life I had,” he says. “No one told me, ‘This is what you’re doing.’ I was on my own, and I had the freedom to go where I wanted to be.”
As he reflects on his life, Gerald returns often to the value of education.
His commitment to learning led him to a remarkable career as a translator and community builder. Beginning in the early 1970s, Gerald travelled extensively with First Nations leaders, helping to advance discussions that would lay the groundwork for reconciliation between First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples and the wider Canadian society.
One of the most significant moments of his career came in 1982, when he was in Ottawa as a translator during the repatriation of Canada’s Constitution. The constitutional package included the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Section 35, which formally recognizes and affirms existing Aboriginal and treaty rights.
Gerald also met future Prime Minister Jean Chrétien during that time, when Chrétien was serving as Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
“Probably the most important meeting I attended was in 1982 with the Constitution,” Gerald says. “But starting in 1973, I travelled with the chiefs all over Canada.”
Gerald also helped establish a school in his home community and has taken great pride in watching his children and grandchildren pursue their own educational journeys.
When asked what advice he would offer young people, his answer is simple: pursue education. The future, he says, will depend on people with the knowledge and creativity to meet new challenges.
During this temporary stay at Ridgeview Court, Gerald has continued to serve others. Many of the elders who travelled with him speak little or no English, and Gerald has been able to translate in Cree, just as he has done throughout his life.
“Gerald is a funny guy who loves telling stories,” says Annabelle Cruz, Ridgeview Court’s recreation director who saw firsthand how he cared for his neighbours. “He looks after the others who were evacuated from their home and makes sure they are all doing well.”
Thankfully, the worst-case flooding did not materialize this spring, and Gerald and the other elders were able to return home after a relatively short time away.
For the team at Ridgeview Court, the experience was an opportunity to offer support while learning from guests whose stories and wisdom left a lasting impression.
“We were honoured to do all we could to support our neighbours from the North during what could have been a very difficult time,” says General Manager Donna Dalupan. “We’re grateful for the time we shared with Gerald and the other guests, and for all they taught us over the past couple of weeks.”
