The University of Winnipeg has named the building housing the University’s Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre and other Aboriginal education initiatives in honour of Helen Betty Osborne. University of Winnipeg President and Vice-Chancellor Lloyd Axworthy made the announcement yesterday at the Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation’s fourth annual Gala Dinner.
Helen Betty Osborne was only 19-years-old and still in high school in The Pas when her life came to a violent end in 1971 and her aspiration of becoming a teacher tragically cut short. It took 16 years for charges to be laid in Helen Betty’s Osborne’s brutal sexual assault and murder.
“With this naming, we recognize and remember Helen Betty Osborne, as well as the many other Aboriginal women whose lives have been marked by violence,” said University of Winnipeg President Lloyd Axworthy. “Thanks to the hard work of her family and the Foundation that bears her name, Helen Betty Osborne stands as a symbol of hope for young Aboriginal people; her commitment to education an inspiration to us all.”
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