2026 Siksika Health Fair Brings Community Together in Celebration of Health and Connection
The 2026 Siksika Health Fair welcomed 1,200 community membersfor a culturally grounded day centred on health, wellness, and connection. More than a health event, it became a community reunion, with attendees visiting and learning across our organization and partner agencies.
This year marked a return to the informative booth format and the community-focused feel that attendees and committee members alike named as the day’s standout. The result was an event that strengthened access to services, deepened partnerships, and showcased the strong coordination of everyone involved.
The day opened on a powerful note with a Grand Entry, opening prayer and remarks, and honouring of Old Sun Community College nursing graduates: Jazzlyn Maguire, Harmony McDonald, Valene Bear Chief, Erica Sitting Eagle, Kim Hardy, and Rhiannon Kennard. Theda Newbreast, a respected member of the Stand Up Headdress Society, had crossed the border from Montana with the knowledge that this is Blackfoot territory: remarks that set a meaningful tone and energized the room. The Stand Up Headdress Society added a deeply moving cultural element with a blessing dance to bless the Health Fair, and start it in a good way. Local youth artists, Makinely Weasel Child, Jax Running Rabbit, and Brinley Backfat shared their remarkable musical talents with attendees, keeping the momentum going throughout the day.
Partner participation was excellent, with key health and mental health specialists, sports and recreation partners, health accrediting and regulating bodies, Alberta Health Services sites, and programs from both on and off the Nation all coming together under one roof. More than 110 Siksika Nation members shared their voices and their stories in contribution to the Community Health Plan, a key process that will guide the work of Siksika Health Services into the future and for our coming generations.
The 2026 Health Fair was a celebration of health, culture, and community spirit. So many thanks to special guests, including our Elders and Knowledge Keepers, the Stand-Up Headdress Society, members of Siksika Nation Council, Jocelyn Andrews, ISC Director General, Lisa Higgerty, Alberta Indigenous Health Assistant Deputy Minister, event sponsors: Blackfoot Confederacy Tribal Council, Woodward & Company LLP, Deerfoot Inn & Casino, Siksika Off-Reserve Affordable Housing (SORAH), and MK Strategy Group, to the planning committee who made this year’s event possible. We look forward to seeing all again next year!
