Justin is a proud First Nation Veteran, and social worker from Opaskwayak Cree Nation. His service in the Canadian Forces began in 2009 and spanned nearly a decade, including service in both the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Navy.

As Justin's service in the Canadian Forces came to a close in 2017, he set a new goal for himself: to become a social worker.  After losing friends and fellow soldiers to post traumatic stress disorder, Justin was driven to support and assist fellow veterans in combating this growing concern through his social work practice. With this goal in mind, Justin enrolled in the University of Manitoba Inner City Social Work Program in 2018 and graduated in 2022.

Today, he has achieved this goal and is the First Nations Veterans Coordinator for Southern Chiefs’ Organization’s First Nations Veterans Program. The First Nations Veterans Program is a new initiative established to address the specific needs of First Nation Veterans in Manitoba. Justin believes that the most effective support for our Veterans comes from those who have walked a similar path. The program is designed by First Nation veterans, for First Nation veterans, and provides a range of services to support First Nations veterans in Manitoba.

Justin brings this experience as a First Nation social worker and veteran in his role as a ARNM Board Public Representative and believes in the importance of shared lived experience in the populations we serve.