Dr. Margaret Brigham

March 24, 2022

With heavy hearts we announce the passing of my dear mother Dr. Margaret Arletta Brigham on Thursday, March 24, 2022 at the age of 72. She will be greatly missed by her son Spencer Shawano Brigham and her siblings Bernita Brigham-Jacobs (Alan), Eugene Brigham and the late Marian Brigham, Alice Brigham and Clarence Brigham. Aunt of Benjamin Brigham (Carly), Sean Hoogterp, Graham Hoogterp (Phyllicia) and great aunt of Vance Brigham, Talen Brigham, Benjamin Brigham-Kewayosh, Shaawnonoo Altiman, Wahwatessa Altiman, Zeebing Altiman. Margaret is the daughter of Simpson Lewis Brigham and Lorraine Jessie Tooshkenig. Dr. Margaret Brigham (Ojibwe) is from Walpole Island First Nation in southern Ontario. The oldest in a family of six children, she has a son of her own. Margaret's work includes experience as a classroom teacher, First Nation school principal, private sector consultant on diversity and equity issues, sociology professor and college administrator. She served on the City of Toronto Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee, and the Provincial Aboriginal Postsecondary Education Policy Working Group. Dr. Brigham spoke on "Aboriginal Women in the Trades" at the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board of Ontario Conference, Thunder Bay, Ontario. She was a conference presenter on a "Signature Pedagogy for Global Citizenship Education at the World Universities Forum, Rhodes, Greece. She has also presented workshops on the pre-existing gaps in college readiness among Indigenous students and workplace issues. Working with tribal groups in Canada and the U.S., she wrote and produced seven video case studies on "American Indian/Anglo Patterns of Difference". Margaret taught preservice teacher education courses in Education and Society and Cross-Cultural Counseling at the University of Toronto. Graduate seminars included Indigenous Knowledge and Decolonization; Aboriginal Communication and Leadership; and Indigenous Women's Voices. She was also the Dean of Centennial College’s Institute for Global Citizenship in Toronto. Most recently, her interest was in Indigenous Storytelling and she was writing a non-fiction book on the history of the Great Lakes Anishinaabe. Dr. Margaret Brigham was a proud board member of the Rec4Youth charity— an organization empowering youth to make positive life change through sports and recreation activity in the Mississauga and surrounding area. For many years, she supported the good work carried out by director and long-time family friend, Joanna Williams. In meetings, her passion for getting youth both indigenous and non-indigenous up on their feet shone through. She contributed guidance on direction, culture, global citizenship, and was most recently working to establish resume-writing workshops featuring career inventory assessments. Her son Spencer Brigham currently serves as a youth board member. Donations are appreciated and can be found at the link below. Website: https://rec4youth.wordpress.com Donate Here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/50158 Cremation has taken place and a memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at a late date. Shared stories and tributes may be left on her tribute wall at www.CavanaghFuneralHome.ca