Indigenous Storytelling

Hayley Hart-Rushinko serves as the manager of Communications and Indigenous Relations for the City of Moose Jaw within the Strategic Growth Department, the first person to hold this role at the city. 

Born and raised in Moose Jaw, Hayley’s journey reflects the experiences of many Indigenous people working to reconnect with their culture. Her mother, adopted through the AIM (Adopt Indigenous and Métis) program, reunited with her biological family in adulthood and continues to meet new relatives today. Hayley’s maternal grandmother was a Métis woman from Regina who passed away when Hayley was in her early 20s, and her mother is registered with Ocean Man First Nation alongside some of her siblings, where her biological grandfather was from. 

Hayley attended local schools and pursued post-secondary studies at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, First Nations University of Canada and the University of Alberta. She and her husband are raising their daughter in Moose Jaw, where family life and community involvement are central to her world.  

Professionally, Hayley’s career accelerated after leaving the pipeline industry to join Golden West Radio as a content creator and on-air personality across Mix 103, Country 100 and CHAB. After five years, she transitioned to the Moose Jaw Warriors as manager of game day and special events, where she discovered a passion for Indigenous relations and community engagement. At the start of 2023, Hayley joined the City of Moose Jaw and was promoted to management a year later. 

Beyond her role at the City, Hayley co-owns Rushinko Earthworks Ltd. with her husband and manages marketing and advertising for her father’s business, Northern Air & Auto, both local, small businesses in Moose Jaw. 

Maria Campbell is a Métis writer, playwright, filmmaker and teacher, well known for her memoir Halfbreed (1973), which was re-published in 2019. Born in Park Valley, Saskatchewan, Maria grew up on a Métis road-allowance and credits her cultural knowledge to her family, community and the many Elders who mentored her over the years. 

An activist and mentor, Maria’s work brings visibility to the histories and resilience of Indigenous people while celebrating the contributions and strengths of Indigenous communities and people. She continues to share these teachings on a national scale through her work with numerous universities, non-profit organizations and Indigenous communities. 

Maria has received many awards and accolades, including the Order of Gabriel Dumont, is an inductee to Officer of the Order of Canada and has seven honorary doctorate degrees. She’s a mom, grandmother and great-grandmother. 

As many Indigenous people are today, Dickie Yuzicapi comes from a culturally diverse heritage. His heritage represents the majority of the Plains cultures found in Saskatchewan to this day: Ojibway, Cree, Métis and Dakota. Dickie is unique in that he was raised by his great-grandparents who never went to residential school. They raised him pre-reservation style until it was his turn to go to residential school. 

Dickie is a residential school survivor and a multigenerational trauma survivor. He is a master storyteller and experienced speaker who can provide his own ancestral context and historical connections in ways that bring the truth and reconciliation recommendations to practical reality. His workshops are led with great care to his family’s stories and meet workshop participants where they are at in the truth and reconciliation process. It is about creating understanding with care to lay the groundwork for what needs to be done to heal. Dickie is experienced in leading workshops, speaking to groups of all sizes and keynote addresses.  

Dickie is also a traditional powwow dancer and singer, an artist, a storyteller, a Red Seal Chef and the owner of Sioux Chef Catering.