Elder Sheila De Corte receives 2025 Canadian River Heritage Award for lifelong commitment to water stewardship

PETERBOROUGH, ON, March 18, 2026 /CNW/ - Rivers in Canada tell our stories. They connect communities, support wildlife, and offer places to explore and enjoy. The Canadian Heritage Rivers System celebrates rivers that are important to our history, culture, and environment, and the people who care for them.

Logos of organizations partenering announcing winner of the 2025 Canadian Heritage Award. (CNW Group/Parks Canada (HQ))

The Canadian Heritage Rivers System and the Canadian Canoe Museum are pleased to announce Elder Sheila De Corte as the recipient of the 2025 Canadian River Heritage Award. Presented every three years, this award recognizes someone who has made a big difference in protecting and celebrating rivers in Canada. Elder Sheila De Corte has been honoured for her lifelong commitment to water stewardship and cultural education.

Elder De Corte founded For the Love of the Rivers and developed ceremonial water walks that combine advocacy and spiritual practice. These walks have drawn national attention to the cultural and ecological importance of waterways across Turtle Island (a term many Indigenous Peoples use for North America). These journeys, some local, others spanning provinces and states, are powerful acts of remembrance, healing, and care for the land and water.

Through her teachings, rooted in Indigenous knowledge, Elder De Corte emphasizes our responsibility to protect water and the important role of women as its guardians. By engaging youth and schools, she has inspired new generations to walk with purpose and care for the waters that sustain life.

The prestigious Heritage Rivers Award is on display in the new Canoe Museum's Exhibition Hall in Peterborough, Ontario, so visitors can learn and be inspired by the dedication of people who work to protect rivers in Canada.

Quotes

"Rivers in Canada are the lifeblood of our landscapes and communities, and they hold deep cultural meaning for Indigenous Peoples. They also play a vital role in supporting Canada's economy and in sustaining the livelihoods of communities from coast to coast to coast. Elder Sheila De Corte is a deserving recipient of the 2025 Canadian River Heritage Award. Her lifelong dedication to water stewardship demonstrates that caring for our waterways is both an environmental responsibility and a cultural commitment. Her work is an inspiration for Canadians to protect the rivers that sustain life today, and for future generations."
The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

"The Canadian Canoe Museum in collaboration with the Canadian Heritage Rivers System is honoured to present Elder Sheila De Corte as the recipient of the 2025 Canadian River Heritage Award. Her lifetime of care, respect and teachings align with the Museum's intentions to recognize outstanding individuals that are committed to protecting our shared waterways for generations to come."
Carolyn Hyslop, Executive Director, The Canadian Canoe Museum

Quick Facts

• First presented in 1994 as the Bill Mason National River Conservation Award, the Canadian River Heritage Award recognizes the lifelong achievements of individuals who have made a lasting contribution to protecting and celebrating rivers in Canada.
  
  
• The 2025 Canadian River Heritage Award was presented at the Canadian Parks Council and Canadian Heritage Rivers Congress in Pinawa, Manitoba on October 7, 2025.
  
  
• Established in 1984, the Canadian Heritage Rivers System is Canada's national river stewardship program. It recognizes rivers of outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational value and promotes their long-term care. Today, there are 42 designated rivers, river segments, and waterways totalling more than 10,000 km.
  
  
• Parks Canada represents the Government of Canada on the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board and provides secretariat services, operational guidance, and financial support for river designations and commemorations, and promotes the program nationally and internationally.
  
  
• The Canadian Canoe Museum cares for the world's largest and most significant collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft--more than 600 in total. The national and international significance of these vessels and their stories reflect history and culture in Canada and continue to shape our shared future.
  
  
• Canada has 42 designated heritage rivers, river segments, and waterways. Each one tells a story of nature, culture and community and are integral to Indigenous peoples, who have lived here since time immemorial. Their rich ecosystems serve as a living celebration of our incredible shared history, and they continue to play important roles in the lives of all Canadians.

Related Links

• Biography: Elder Sheila De Corte
• Canadian Heritage Rivers System
• Canadian Canoe Museum

SOURCE Parks Canada (HQ)

Contacts: Keean Nembhard, Press Secretary, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, 343-292-6096, [email protected]; Media Relations, Parks Canada, 855-862-1812, [email protected]; Carolyn Hyslop, Canadian Canoe Museum, 705-875-3960, [email protected]