Nelly Gonzalez

“A young woman had miscarried her baby after waiting six hours unattended in a hospital waiting room,” says Gonzalez. “It was nerve wracking having to ask her these incredibly personal questions. I was worried she’d slam the door in my face. She had every right to do it.

“That story and all the media attention it garnered eventually forced the health minister to launch a task force to identify whether this was an isolated incident or if there was a problem with the system,” says Gonzalez. “That woman’s bravery in telling the community her story through the media actually improved society. That power to create change is something I truly believe in.”

 Gonzalez’s interest in people overcoming adverse situations, combined with her own family’s immigration from Mexico when she was three years old, is behind her passion to tell the stories of new Manitobans.

“It’s fascinating to hear their personal stories and their perspective on Canadian issues. It’s a real eye-opener discovering the world through the people who have chosen Manitoba as their new home,” she says with a smile. “Immigrants often tell me that they chose Manitoba because of the cold, the cold is so different from where they came from that it makes them feel like they’re really Canadian.”