Dorthea Swiftwolfe, Saskatoon's first Auntie Advocate (photo: Allison Squire/Stielle & Co)

By NC Raine

Office of the Matriarch

Saskatoon’s Auntie Advocate helping to open city’s first centre for families of MMIWG2S+

Jul 22, 2026 | 10:02 AM

Dorthea Swiftwolfe, the City of Saskatoon’s Auntie Advocate, has a vision: she wants families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit (MMIWG2S+) to feel safe and supported in Saskatoon.

“My vision is for a place where families could come together and debrief. A place where they could gather with one another,” said Swiftwolfe.

“That’s what families have been asking for.”

This fall, Swiftwolfe and the City of Saskatoon are hoping to finally open the Coming Home Centre – a welcoming and safe space where women can experience a sense of belonging, access ceremonial grounding, and benefit from a wrap-around approach to supports across the city.

“We’ve had support from everyone at city hall. They’ve understood the vision,” said Swiftwolfe.

“We want to wrap families around in support and help them walk through that healing journey. That’s what brought me here.”

The Coming Home Centre has been developing since a 2021 ‘Coming Home Report’ from the City of Saskatoon, identifying what they could do to inform and support Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit.

Swiftwolfe hopes the Coming Home Centre will be open by fall 2026 (photo: Audrey Armstrong)

The report also led to the creation of the position that Swiftwolfe currently holds – a matriarchal leadership position established to, as per the report, recognize the need to ‘listen to the aunties’.

“When the job was posted, I thought how amazing it would be to go and continue this work in the community to create a safe place to be,” she said. “Being an Auntie isn’t about bloodlines. It’s about relationships, responsibility, and love.”

The Coming Home Centre, which Swiftwolfe has been passionate about opening since starting her role of Auntie Advocate in December of 2024, will enable families to practice cultural ceremonies, such a smudging, without advance coordination, which the existing City facilities currently requites.

The Centre will also be a safe place for families of MMIWG2S+ to receive updates and debrief, said Swiftwolfe.

“Often the first time families hear anything about their loved ones is at court, in the system,” said Swiftwolfe.

Swiftwolfe also started a parking program for families going to court, who often have to attend court multiple times for long hours.

Dorthea Swiftwolfe, a member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, has been working for over two decades supporting families and vulnerable individuals in Saskatoon (photo: Audrey Armstrong)

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Swiftwolfe has dedicated her career to be being a voice for the marginalized and vulnerable. She began doing frontline work with the Saskatoon Tribal Council before becoming an Aboriginal Resource Officer with the Saskatoon Police Service, a role she held for nearly two decades.

When the opportunity to become the city’s first ‘Auntie Advocate’, Swiftwolfe jumped at the opportunity to bring her advocacy and family-centred vision to the city. The role she stepped into was both broad and heavy – to lead the development and execution of strategies, plans, and programs that will foster a city where Indigenous women, girls, and two spirit feel protected, safe, and loved.

“I do this work because I’ve always thought that if I had a missing or murdered loved one, how would I want to be treated? With love and respect,” she said.

“For me, we’re all related. You always try to assist, embrace, and help family. My entire community is my family.”

As Auntie Advocate, Swiftwolfe provides direction for the Office of the Representative of Matriarchs at the City of Saskatoon (photo: Allison Squire / Stielle & Co)

In Saskatchewan, Indigenous women and girls are murdered or go missing at a rate 11 times higher than non-Indigenous women, according to the Department of Justice Canada. As of late 2025, the RCMP estimates around 1,200 cases of MMIWG2S+ in Canada since 1980, but advocacy groups believe that number is significantly higher.

“If you know something (about a missing person), say something,” said Swiftwolfe.

Swiftwolfe said small gestures, like donating water, or simply attending a gathering, can mean a great deal to families facing tragedy.

“We need to come together and support each other in those moments of need. We need to show each other love, kindness and respect.”

“My vision is that there’s real change. That this doesn’t happen anymore – that I’m unemployed.”

Like any Auntie, Swiftwolfe said her door is open for anyone in the community who needs support, or simply needs a hug. And with the Coming Home Centre months from finally becoming a reality, the embrace of Saskatoon’s Auntie may only continue to grow.

“An Auntie can listen. They can advocate for someone when they feel like they have no voice,” said Swiftwolfe.

“That’s what we’re here for. To make people understand that they’re not carrying their burden alone.”

by NC Raine

Saskatoon’s Auntie Advocate helping to open city’s first centre for families of MMIWG2S+

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