Re: Letter to the Editor in the Prince George Citizen dated January 15th, with the author indicated as Doreen Spence
I am sick to my stomach as I write this letter, sicker than I have felt in a long, long time. The letter to the Editor that was published today, supposedly written by Doreen Spence, was a cruel hoax, and the person who authored the letter is the lowest of the low in our society. Someone had the audacity to write the letter, put Doreen's name on it and send it into the paper.
How this letter was published without its' author first being verified is something that the Prince George Citizen is going to have to answer for, but in the meantime a very nice lady, one who is a leader in our community, is being vilified.
For those of you who do not know Doreen, she is a leader not only in the Mtis Community, but in the greater Prince George community as well. Doreen has worked tirelessly to support Mtis cultural activities and to address their social issues. She is a committed parent, as well as a foster parent of literally dozens of kids of Aboriginal ancestry.
For those of you who may not have made the connection, Doreen's daughter Jackie was killed in a tragic car accident just before Christmas; Jackie was two spirited and Doreen was very accepting and consistently supportive of her. I could go on and on about Doreen's stature and commitment to this community, but for now I want people to know that this letter was a hoax and that Doreen was in no way involved in it.
I truly hope and pray that people will ensure that this message gets out immediately and that we find a way to stop the infection and distress that I know this article has already caused Doreen and our community.
Ray Gerow
President/CEO
Aboriginal Business Development Centre
Aboriginal Community Development Centre
