Empower Women 2022 Awards


Minister Squires

Minister Squires

Leona McIntyre

Leona McIntyre

Panel – Sheila North, Kristie Pearson, Christy Dzikowicz and Ashling Sweeny

Panel – Sheila North, Kristie Pearson, Christy Dzikowicz and Ashling Sweeny

Minister Squires, Hilda Anderson- Pyrz, Brooklyn Rudolph- Nicholas, Premier Heather Stefanson

Minister Squires, Hilda Anderson- Pyrz, Brooklyn Rudolph-Nicholas, Premier Heather Stefanson

Minister Guillemard, Minister Squires, Hilda Anderson- Pyrz, Brooklyn Rudolph- Nicholas, Premier Heather Stefanson

Minister Guillemard, Minister Squires, Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, Brooklyn Rudolph-Nicholas, Premier Heather Stefanson

The winners of the 2022 Empower Women Award are Brooklyn Rudolph-Nicholas (youth) and Hilda Anderson-Pyrz (adult).

Brooklyn Rudolph-Nicholas (Youth)

photo of Brooklyn
Brooklyn Rudolph-Nicholas

Brooklyn is an Ininew (Cree) woman and member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation. She is 24 years old and grew up off-reserve in Treaty 1 Territory, in the North End of Winnipeg, MB. She is an advocate for Indigenous rights and cares deeply for Indigenous Communities. She is a professional Indigenous Artist and centres her art projects on ways to create positive change within the community. She loves to give, and most of her Indigenous artworks are gifted around the community to non-profit organizations (shelters, mental health organizations, women’s centres, etc.).

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz (Adult)

photo of Hilda
Hilda Anderson-Pyrz

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz is a member of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, and Chair of the National Family and Survivors Circle in Canada. For 20 years, she has worked to prevent and end gender- and race-based violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. She was instrumental in establishing the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc.’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Liaison Unit, where she was the Director for five years. Hilda served as President of the Families First Foundation and as Co-Chair of the Manitoba MMIWG Coalition. Hilda’s determination to center the voices and expertise of families of MMIWG, survivors of gender-based violence and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people is guided by her own life experience as an impacted family member and the recognition that Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people are sacred.

The winners of the 2021 Empower Women Award are Divya Sharma (youth) and Lorie English (adult).

Divya Sharma (Youth)

photo of Divya
Divya Sharma

Sharma is a determined, driven young woman with a passion for giving back to her community. Sharma is a strong voice and leader in her high school and is the youngest member of the Asian Women of Winnipeg board. After seeing the challenges that frontline workers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sharma collaborated with various organizations across the country and has helped to provide over 16,000 care packages to health-care workers, first responders and essential services workers to date.

Lorie English (Adult)

photo of Divya
Lorie English

English is the executive director of the West Central Women’s Resource Centre and is well-known as a strong advocate for supports for housing, poverty reduction and the critical work needed to end gender-based violence. From the onset of the pandemic, English and her team quickly responded to the changing needs of the community and the members they serve and adjusted their services to include mobile outreach, food hampers and COVID-19 immunization pop-up clinics.