Vision Vancouver councillor Andrea Reimer learns about her Indigenous ancestry

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      The deputy mayor of Vancouver has gone public about her Métis and Cree roots.

      Andrea Reimer has revealed to CBC News journalist Duncan McCue that she was adopted into a family that traced their history back to the Netherlands, Wales, and Russia.

      Only in 2015 did she learn that her maternal grandfather was Métis and her maternal grandmother was Cree. 

      According to McCue's article, this came after the Saskatchewan government contacted her because one of her birth half-sisters wanted to meet.

      Reimer later learned from her birth family that some of her ancestors participated in Métis rebellions in the 1880s.

      As a politician, Reimer has been at the forefront in promoting Vancouver as a city of reconciliation. And this, along with her keen interest in addressing the climate crisis and preserving natural areas, predated her learning about her Indigenous heritage.

      At the opening of TaiwanFest last year, Reimer offered a greeting in the Squamish language, which she's been studying.

      Comments