Elsie Bear
Born into a Métis family in Grand Marais in 1921, Elsie Bear became a monumental figure of advocacy, community service, and cultural pride in Selkirk. A founding force behind the Selkirk Friendship Centre in 1967, she dedicated her life to empowering women, children, and Indigenous peoples, while personally fostering around 40 children and launching a massive annual community Christmas dinner. Her decades of selfless giving earned her Manitoba’s prestigious Order of the Buffalo Hunt and the MMF’s Order of the Shawl.