A Bison at the centre of transforming communities

By Sabrina Smith

When Grand Chief Jerry Daniels [BA/08] was young, he often fell asleep to the sound of a pipe and drum in a ceremony room. His grandfather was a traditional healer who welcomed people into their home seeking help.

“They’d bring food. They’d bring gifts,” Daniels says. “He’d be praying, singing and listening to what was wrong.”

Raised by grandparents, aunties and uncles on Long Plain First Nation, Daniels credits this early immersion in kinship for inspiring him to serve others. Yet, like many young people, he wasn’t sure how to chart his future.

Daniels didn’t graduate high school on time and spent a few years figuring out his next steps. Through Friendship Centre programs, he earned his final credits and gained extensive youth leadership experience. Then he began his studies at the University of Manitoba.

“I felt positive,” he says. “I had good energy.”

At first, Daniels planned to become a lawyer—drawn in by public speaking and advocacy—but university opened other possibilities.

He started with philosophy and logic, then explored sociology before finding a strong interest in economics. Influenced by the late John Loxley, a professor at UM and a respected economist, he began to see how financial expertise could advance self-determination.

“John told me, ‘There are already a lot of First Nations lawyers. What we need are more economists.’”

Daniels immersed himself in campus life—living at Arthur V. Mauro Residence, working at Degrees and presiding over the Aboriginal Student Association.

“I spent basically my whole life on campus, and I gained a lot from that experience,” he says.

Graduating with a BA in economics, Daniels took the values he’d learned—collaboration, advocacy and a belief in self-determination—and began applying them in broader leadership roles. Today, he’s serving a historic third term as Grand Chief of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO), representing 87,000 First Nations citizens across 32 Nations.

Under his leadership, SCO has launched initiatives in health, water infrastructure and child welfare. His team also acquired the iconic Hudson’s Bay building in downtown Winnipeg for a groundbreaking multi-use redevelopment.

Named Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn—meaning “it is visible” in Anishinaabemowin—the re-development will transform the building into a community hub with affordable housing, a health and healing centre, childcare and education spaces, a museum, SCO’s new headquarters and more.

“Over its lifetime, it’s going to affect thousands of lives—hundreds of thousands of lives—in terms of people working there, in terms of people living there,” Daniels says.

He leads with both vision and trust, building partnerships and believing in the potential of those around him.

“I try to see the good in people,” says Daniels. “And that’s been a good thing for me—sometimes a bad thing—but it’s who I am.”