September 20, 2023

For immediate release – Treaty 1 Territory – Winnipeg

Interlake Reserves Tribal Council, expresses their utmost gratitude for their recent partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays Foundation.  This partnership consists of a yearly spring/summer baseball league for all their members communities and including upgrades to current baseball diamond infrastructure.  This past weekend also seen over 25 children and their families flown to Toronto to watch the most recent 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox.  A rare opportunity that exhibits a willingness to help disadvantaged children and moment to expand their dreams and horizons.

“We are very grateful for this rare moment we have experienced with a professional baseball team.  Over one year ago we sat down with the Blue Jays foundation, to see how we can work together.  We also shared with them how our communities experienced emergency after emergency with the 2011, and 2014 floods and 2019 power outages; and how these experiences have had a negative impact on family structure on reserve, due to the time it took to return back home after infrastructure repairs. It’s nice to see a top class professional sports team do more than governments on sporting initiatives like this.”  Says Chief Cornell McLean

IRTC and Blue Jays sponsored close to 20 families to meet with the Blue Jays foundation and experience a baseball game for the first time in their lives.

“To have a professional sports team work with our tribal council has been nothing but exhilarating for our people and communities.  We have had some low moments for our people due to natural and man made disasters (like the St. Martin emergency channel in 2011 and 2014) which has affected our families living in community, and this opportunity raises their hopes and expectations that people and organizations outside our province truly do care about their indigenous people.  We would like to extend our thank you and gratitude to the Blue Jays foundation and executives.”  Shares Karl Zadnik, Chief Executive Officer for IRTC.

We look forward to our ongoing partnership with the Blue Jays Foundation.

For immediate enquiries please contact Karl Zadnik, CEO at karlzadnik@irtc.ca

Karl Zadnik
CEO IRTC

For all media enquiries contact Karl Zadnik
Email: karlzadnik@irtc.ca
Cell: 204-795-4747