About FoLFG

The Friends of Lower Fort Garry is a registered charity and non-profit organization created to directly support Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site. Our passionate group of volunteers seeks out independent and collaborative partnerships with LFGNHS while nurturing positive relationships with the community of Selkirk, the Interlake, and the greater Winnipeg area. Some examples of these partnerships are: the Stone Fort Trading Company gift shop, programming such as the Adventurer’s Day Camp, seasonal events, and much more.

The Friends of Lower Fort Garry are committed to promoting Canada’s natural and cultural heritage through awareness, educational and sensory experiences.

Mission Statement

Give Canadians the opportunity to support, enhance, and enjoy Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site
Build heritage awareness among Canadians
Work with Parks Canada to raise awareness, strengthen and increase the support of our national historic site, Lower Fort Garry
Help protect and enhance Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site, now and through the future
Raise funds to carry out the mission

Vision Statement

With sound human resources and revenue management decisions, we will strive to strengthen the interpretation and preservation of Lower Fort Garry through the delivery of quality experiential products and services.

Board of Directors

Dr. Carolyn Weiss

President

Born and raised in St. Andrews, Carolyn loves Lower Fort Garry and the history surrounding her community. Currently the owner of and doctor at Meridian Chiropractic + Health Centre, she worked for over 15 years with Parks Canada at Lower Fort Garry. Lower Fort Garry will always represent part of Canada’s history, as well as a place where life long friendships were formed.

She is passionate about keeping the site relevant and accessible to all Canadians and visitors from around the world. If you see her around the site, stop to say hi – she loves meeting new faces and slyly convincing you to volunteer!

Ben Gillies

Vice President

The co-founder of the award-winning Winnipeg Trolley Company, and of local coffee shop Fools + Horses, Benjamin Gillies is a man of many talents and interests. Benjamin has worked in the tourism industry for over a decade, first as a student interpreter at Lower Fort Garry and a tour guide on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and Vimy Ridge National Historic Site in France.

He is passionate about sharing our history, and in 2012 he co-founded the Winnipeg Trolley Company, offering public city tours, brewery tours, and ghost tours, as well as charter transportation services.

Katie Williams

Secretary

Erica Massie

Director of Day Camp

Erica Massie is currently a vice-principal of a grade 6-12 school. A passionate educator, she has previously worked as a high school French Immersion teacher, specializing in language, history, art and humanities courses. She loves sharing cultural and social history with others.

During the summer, she is in explorer mode, spending more time in a canoe & tent than at home. Her passion for fur trade history, cultivated during her many years working at Lower Fort Garry, inspires her to trace fur trade routes in her trusty red canoe. Special trip highlights include paddling the Hayes River from Norway House to York Factory on Hudson Bay.

Vacant

Director of Retail

Janelle Desrosiers

Director of Creative

Janelle Desrosiers is the owner of Bloom + Brilliance, an intersectional and Indigenous feminist branding and web design agency. A born entrepreneur and naturally creative, Janelle has been helping businesses find their brand voice for over 18 years. Janelle worked at Lower Fort Garry as a costumed interpreter, and also created marketing material for Parks Canada. As the Creative Director for FoLFG, Janelle develops and maintains our website and designs our marketing materials.

As a Métis and French-Canadian woman, Janelle is most fascinated by the history and the cultural experience of the intersecting communities represented at Lower Fort Garry.