Leo was born in 1941 to Red River Métis “Michif” parents in Manitoba. He was one of seven children. “I spent my growing years learning my culture and the importance of family,” says Leo. “Family used to take care of family. I spent a lot of time with a variety of relatives until I was five years of age.”
Leo and an older brother were then placed in a residential school called St. Joseph Vocational School in Winnipeg. “My experiences were those of a six-year-old,” says Leo. “I have a lot of memories of it, good and bad, but the bad memories I avoid,” says Leo. The bad memories were mostly of the nuns, not the priests. “The nuns all seemed to carry big straps,” says Leo.
His good memories include a racetrack across the street which he could see from the third floor of the dormitory where he slept. He could see the track from his window and he remembers cheering for a horse called Blue Boy. His older brother’s experience was not as mixed. A few years ago he and his older brother took a trip to Mexico where they discussed their experiences. “What he described was horrendous,” says Leo.
Leo was reunited with his family briefly, then separated again and was a ward of the state from 1951 to 1961 and didn’t see his siblings for the next ten years. When he was ready for high school, he was given the choice of going to a high school in Winnipeg or going to work on a farm run by the Catholic monks. He chose high school but was eventually kicked out and worked at a variety of jobs before going to barber school.
He eventually moved on to be a hairdresser for women and travelled to Paris and London to study. In 1979, Leo moved to British Columbia. He says it was a combination of running from something and running to something. He wanted a fresh start. After 35 years in the hair industry, Leo began a new career in social services. He started studying in a number of programs that specialized in working with youth, being a life coach, and family therapy and went on to work with Xyólheméylh as well as VACFSS, FAFP and various MCFD programs.
Leo retired in 2020 but still wanted to be involved with the agency. “I still have the passion to contribute my time to work with families,” said Leo. “I’ve seen a great deal of changes in the agency,” says Leo. “I’m glad to see they’re bringing more culture into the agency.”