b'RECOGNITION AWARDSONWA supporter Barry Green, Executive Chairman, Greenrock, left, with Alana Morrison, rightJEANNETTE CORBIERE-LAVELL AWARD:ALANA MORRISONAlana Morrison is the Detective Sergeant in charge of survivor services at Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS). She was recognized with the Jeannette Corbiere-Lavell Award for leading change in the Northern Ontario justice system for the last 20 years, with a focus on supporting survivors of abuse. This has included the creation of the Survivor Assistance Support Program in 2020.Its a huge honour to carry on the work that Jeannette Corbiere-Lavell started, and thats working on the legal side of things when it comes to victim services or working with Indigenous women that have been harmed, Morrison says. So it absolutely means the world to me that I received this award. Being recognized goes to show that there is a concern out there when we talk about MMIWG [Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls] and the legal aspect of a lot of things when it comes to victim services or survivor services.Morrison says that the Nishnawbe Aski Nation communities that NAPS serves across Northern Ontario do not have many community-based resources. So taking on this endeavour to close the gap there has been a labour of love, she notes. I mean that in the most sincere way because a lot of the women can tend to feel alone up in our Northern communities.Policing, adds Morrison, can be tougher for victims in the smaller communities that NAPS serves because of privacy concerns. When youre in a smaller community of 300 people, people know whats going on, she says. So, Im happy to be recognized by ONWA for that work that were doing with the victims in these Northern commun-ities. Theres so much healing that needs to be done, but before that its reconciling with those that have caused a lot of the damage that our women have to deal with.Ontario Native Womens Association65'