07/02/2025
Capilano University is honoured to have Troy Macbeth Abromaitis serve on our Board of Governors since 2022. A two-spirit Sixties Scoop survivor and proud member of the Nlakaāpamux and Lytton First Nations, Troy brings invaluable lived experience, cultural insight, and advocacy to his role.
Troyās leadership extends far beyond the boardroom. When wildfires devastated the Lytton community, he personally raised over $60,000 to support rebuilding efforts. His work reflects a deep commitment to community healing, resilience, and action.
He is also the founder of Indigenous Survivors Day, observed annually on June 30. The day honours those affected by the Sixties and Millennium Scoops, birth alerts, and the continued overrepresentation of Indigenous children in care.
In 2024, the City of Thunder Bay became the first in Canada to formally proclaim Indigenous Survivors Day, thanks to Troyās vision and advocacy. In this CBC feature, Troy shares why the day matters and how it invites all Canadians to pause and reflect before and after July 1:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/indigenous-survivors-day-1.7573871
At CapU, we are learning from and alongside Troy. Troyās leadership invites deeper reflection on how the university commemorates, engages with, and learns from Indigenous histories and how to ensure this is embedded throughout its everyday practices. Troy leads by example, ensuring Indigenous representation is meaningfully and permanently woven into all spaces. He continues to demonstrate the impact of community leadership and the importance of embedding Indigenous perspectives at every level of institutional decision-making.
Sixties Scoop survivor Troy Abromaitis says Canada Day represents celebrating a country that, for many Indigenous peoples, facilitated loss and separation from their families. He created Indigenous Survivors Day to honour children who were taken from their families and lands.
