Ray Fox has collected one honor after another over the past several years, and later this month he will be collecting another.
Fox will be receiving the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal in a ceremony April 14 in Regina.
He learned about the news聽 鈥� a little bit after everybody else got it 鈥� I had people phoning me and congratulating me and I said 鈥榳hoa, what did I do this time?鈥欌��
But then he remembered he had been nominated for this award.聽
He and his wife Krista will be heading down to Regina April 13 for what will be a busy couple of days. The actual ceremony will be the following day, in which Fox and the other recipients receive their medals from provincial Lt. Gov. Vaughn Solomon Schofield at Government House.
From there, they will head to the legislature, where MLA Herb Cox will introduce him.
鈥淎nd so I thought that was kind of neat, too. And then after that I guess it鈥檚 over,鈥� said Fox. 鈥淪omewhere in there, I think we鈥檙e going to eat something.鈥�
The following is a list of some of the activities cited by the province when they announced Fox鈥檚 latest recognition:
He鈥檚 an Elder in the aboriginal community. He served as chairman, Battlefords and Area Legal Assistance Clinic Society (1974), he鈥檚 been a commissioner, Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission (1974). He鈥檚 been executive director, Battlefords Indian M茅tis Friendship Centre, rising to the position of president of the provincial association (AFCS) and National vice鈥恜resident of the national association (NAFC)
He鈥檚 had a 20-year career in broadcasting and media mainly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, that continues with his weekend show on CJNB radio. He was founding president and CEO, National Aboriginal Communications Society (1985), also serving as its chief executive officer.
Fox served on the University of Saskatchewan鈥檚 Regional Advisory Committee and RCMP Victim Services Personnel Committee.
He has worked with Battlefords United Way, Saskatchewan Association of School Councils, Prairie Employment Program, Sakewew High School Management Committee, Battlefords Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Battleford Advisory Group
He has served with the SaskCulture First Nations and M茅tis Advisory Circle since 2006.
Fox has been a volunteer First Nation chaplin for the Prairie North Health Region and fulfilled the role of keeper of the Wandering Spirit gravesite.
He鈥檚 been active as vice鈥恈hair of the North Battleford Transitional Living Initiative Inc., which was active in the building of the Pocket Housing project in the Battlefords that opened to clients last year. And he鈥檚 served as a commissioner with the Saskatchewan Public Complaints Commission.
His current job is with BTC Justice, and as an aside, Fox has also been on the North Battleford city council for more than a decade.聽
For Fox, this latest recognition goes along with a number of other honours he has received including: Battlefords Citizen of the Year 2008, honourable mention for the 2010 Premier鈥檚 Award for Excellence in the Public Service for his involvement with the Battlefords Domestic Violence Treatment Option Court and the Queen鈥檚 Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. He is also on the Battlefords Wall of Fame.
Not bad for a kid from Sweetgrass First Nation.
Does this recognition get old after a while? 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think so,鈥� said Fox.
鈥淚 guess it鈥檚 a recognition that someone鈥檚 paying attention to some of the things that you do, which can be scary as well. For my part, I like the idea that I鈥檝e tried to do some good things for people and I guess once in a while this type of recognition comes back and kind of reaffirms what you are doing and that you鈥檙e actually making a little bit of a difference in your part of the world 鈥� I guess in that sense I鈥檓 honoured, and lucky actually, to be recognized as such.鈥�
He鈥檚 also hopeful the recognition of positive role models has a positive impact, particularly in the aboriginal community, which he describes as particularly hurting with suicide rates in 鈥渙uter space鈥� among young people.聽
鈥淵ou want to be a good role model, in this day and age where we are now. There鈥檚 a lot of youth that are disenfranchised,鈥� said Fox.
He worries a lot of them were turning to such things as reality TV (ie. 鈥渢he Kardashians of the world鈥�) and video games, and said those were taking young people聽 鈥渢o a different world. They have access to a place were things like caring for one another doesn鈥檛 exist any more. And nobody鈥檚 there to teach them because they鈥檝e got nobody to emulate and nobody to watch to see why a person would want to do something for somebody. And so I think we need more people to be able to do that as well, and I think one of the ways to do that is to recognize people that are doing it.鈥�
One group of people not making a good impression as role models are politicians. Fox isn鈥檛 too impressed with what he is seeing from some of his political colleagues lately.
On the one hand some, such as U.S. president Barack Obama, have been rendered ineffectual.
鈥淥bama came like a galloping turd of hurdles there in the United States and man he was the toast of the town, everybody loved him,鈥� Fox said. 鈥淲ell, look at what they did to him now. He鈥檚 being forced into all sorts of different things and he鈥檚 basically a lame duck president now.鈥澛�
Then 鈥渓ook at our own situation鈥�, he said, 鈥渨ith our own politicians and the troubles they are having. Fox pointed to the Mike Duffy senate scandal and trial that is beginning this month.
鈥淲hen Duffy makes it to the court house and we start reporting on what鈥檚 going on in Duffy鈥檚 trial, I think they are going to very, very quickly understand how deep in the toilet we are when it comes to our politicians. So it鈥檚 hard to feel good about that kind of stuff.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to fathom 鈥� how did we get to this point? How did we ever get here?鈥� Fox added.
鈥淭hat sort of stuff I think that kids are being bombarded with, and it鈥檚 tuning them out. They鈥檙e not wanting to be involved in something like that and I don鈥檛 blame them half of the time, because it doesn鈥檛 make any sense. So I think it鈥檚 appropriate that we still do things for the sake of doing things for people 鈥� that sort of stuff needs to be encouraged a lot more so that they understand and know what it鈥檚 like to be neighbours and on the same planet together. So I feel strongly about this.鈥�
Several notable people who have inspired and helped Fox along the way in life, ranging from his own family members in the Battlefords and area, to the people who have educated him in the schools.
Among the influences was his grandfather on his father鈥檚 side. He and young Ray had some deep discussions about such things as the Bible and the differences between Christianity and First Nation religious beliefs.
Sister Mary Blanche taught him during his brief time at St. Mary School and had a big influence in his life. She was a devout Catholic, Fox recalls, but 鈥渟he never really pushed that on us.鈥�
As an example, Fox said he used to tell her about how he had drums at home he would use to sing powwow songs, and she would say 鈥渢hat鈥檚 very good, you should keep doing that, it鈥檚 part of your culture.鈥澛�
Another influence was Julian Sadlowski, who happened to be his school principal at St. Mary School at that same time.
When Fox was elected to city council in 2003, Sadlowski was also elected mayor 鈥� a situation which Fox likened to being the pupil learning from the headmaster again. 鈥滻t was like going back to school,鈥� Fox said.
When Fox first began his municipal political career in North Battleford, a mentor he sought out was Senator Herb Sparrow, who he turned to for advice when deciding to run for the first time. He聽 remembers Sparrow strongly encouraging him to put his hat in the ring.
鈥淗e told me right up front,鈥� said Fox, 鈥測ou鈥檙e not going to know until you鈥檝e tried it.鈥�
Fox got his answer, all right. As he recounted at his Citizen of the Year induction dinner in early 2009, he went back to Sparrow with his tail between his legs after a dismal showing in that initial 1997 vote. That鈥檚 the thing, Sparrow had said, you often don鈥檛 get in the first time.聽
Fox didn鈥檛 give up. He had a better showing in the 2000 vote. Finally, in 2003, he got in, and he鈥檚 been re-elected three more times.聽
Those early days were a time when aboriginal candidates were a rarity on the ballot in North Battleford. It was that lack of participation, and representation, of aboriginal people in the political process that alarmed Fox when he first ran.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little bit scary, you know, to think we鈥檝e got the fastest-growing population in the age demographic of this country, certainly in and around here,鈥� said Fox, and yet you didn鈥檛 see many in a decision-making capacity.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more the idea, if he can do it, maybe I can do it,鈥� said Fox. Now, it isn鈥檛 unusual to see candidates of First Nations heritage on the ballot, something that Fox takes great satisfaction in seeing happen.
Now Fox is onto his next major project, having recently been nominated by the Liberals to run federally in Battlefords-Lloydminster in the coming federal election.
For Fox, his motivation for getting involved in politics is a simple one.
鈥淎 person gets tired of complaining, you know?鈥� Fox said. 鈥淎nd you start to realize, you know, people ain鈥檛 listening. You actually have to go and show people what it is that you鈥檙e talking about.鈥�
