Chief Tréchelle Bunn has had an extraordinary year. Photo credit: Gin Ouskun Photography.
Tréchelle Bunn’s extraordinary year
From advocating for Indigenous Peoples at the UN to becoming Chief of her First Nation, this law student remains unstoppable
Tréchelle Bunn has been having an extraordinary year – make that two years. Since first setting foot in Robson Hall, the third-year law student from Wampum, Manitoba, has been making a huge impact on every community she is part of, be it furthering Truth and Reconciliation, or working to improve access to justice for incarcerated persons. From organizing an annual Reconciliation Run in her home community of the Birdtail Sioux First Nation to speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council on behalf of Indigenous Peoples, Bunn proceeds with quiet determination and a passion for challenges. Last spring, she rose to the challenge of leadership and was elected the youngest and first female Chief of her First Nation. Here is a look at Chief Bunn’s extraordinary year (or two).
Award-winning scholar and human being
Having started law school with a BA in Criminology Bunn settled into law’s challenging academic program as a John Mitchell Scholarship recipient, later receiving the Wendy Whitecloud Bursary in Law. “Both as a law student and fellow Dakota winyan (woman), Wendy is a tremendous inspiration to me,” Bunn wrote in a LinkedIn post. “As the first Indigenous female law professor at the Faculty of Law, Wendy is a trailblazer who paved the way for me and other Indigenous women pursuing careers in law.”
In her second year of law school, Bunn received First Peoples Law LLP’s Indigenous Law Student Scholarship.
In 2024, she was recognized as a CBC Future 40 recipient, an honour celebrating Manitoba’s new generation of leaders, builders, and change-makers under 40. “This recognition is not mine alone; it is shared with my family, my nation, and all the communities and organizations I am fortunate to serve and be part of,” Bunn wrote.
At the end of the year, she was named to Ace Burpee’s Top 100 most fascinating Manitobans of 2024.
Tréchelle Bun was presented with the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2024. Source: LinkedIn.
The new year started with Bunn being named the 2025 Youth – First Nations Indspire Award Laureat, shortly followed with a most distinguished award: the King Charles III Coronation Medal, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to Canada and their respective provinces. “This recognition is a collective achievement, shared with my family, community, and all those who have supported me throughout my journey,” Bunn shared on social media about the Royal recognition.
This fall, Bunn was honoured with a University of Manitoba Distinguished Alumni Award in the Outstanding Alumni category.
She has spoken on countless panels and conferences, and gave a TEDx Fort Garry talk this past September. Most recently, she was selected to serve on Hockey Canada’s inaugural Indigenous Advisory Circle; spoke on Indspire’s National Education Gathering Youth Panel in Winnipeg; and was the keynote speaker for Sport Manitoba’s 2025 Sport Event Forum.
Truth and Reconciliation
On September 27, 2025, Bunn organized the 4th Reconciliation Run in recognition of Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30). As it happens, the distance between the former Birtle Residential School Ruins in Birtle, Manitoba to the Birdtail Sioux First Nation equals a half marathon (21.1k), inspiring the transformation of what originally started out as a walk into a run. She explained to Dean Jochelson during an episode of the Robson Radio podcast, “The Reconciliation Run kind of started as a second iteration of what my family and community were calling a healing walk. These originally started on July 1st, 2021 and it was sparked by the 215 discoveries of unmarked graves and Kamloops. Reflecting back on that time, it was a heavy time for Indigenous peoples and communities all across Turtle Island.”
Wishing to honour Residential School Survivors in their own community, she asked her parents what they could do. Their conversation reminded her of something her grandfather, whom she calls her Unkan Donald (“Unkan” meaning “grandfather” in Dakota) had shared with her years before: that when he was at the Birtle Residential school, he wanted nothing more than to run away and go home. “That’s when the thought connected,” she said. “Why don’t we go back to the former Birtle Residential School and run and walk home in honour of my Unkan Donald and all those who never got the chance to?”
Chief Tréchelle Bunn (far right) at the 4th Reconciliation Run with classmate Josh Gandier (3L) (left), and Elizabeth McCandless, Director of Clinics, Faculty of Law (middle).
The 2025 run saw about 150 attendees including runners, walkers, volunteers and community members with participating Faculty of Law community members including Elizabeth McCandless, Director of Clinics, Bunn’s 3L classmates Logan Nadeau, Joshua Gandier, (runners) and Kaitlyn Clarke (volunteer), and The Honourable Justice Alain Huberdeau of the Court of King’s Bench, who volunteered for a second year in a row. “The weather was beautiful, and it’s always amazing to see how far participants travel each year,” said Bunn. “We had runners join us again from Vancouver, and even some virtual participants from as far away as Australia!”
Solid Leadership
Upon starting law school, Bunn had already been moving in the world as a leader in both competitive hockey as a top player and coach, and as Southern Chief’s Organization Youth Chief. During summer break, 2024, Bunn represented 34 Anishinaabe and Dakota First Nations at the 17thSession of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva, Switzerland. As part of a contingent of SCO Chiefs, she moderated the SCO panel on Self-Determination and Indigenous Health.
Bunn has been involved locally with the Manitoba Indigenous Law Students’ Association and its activities, but last spring, she modestly posted on her LinkedIn, “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Chief at Birdtail Sioux First Nation!”
Tréchelle Bunn in Geneva, Switzerland, where she moderated a panel at the 17th Session of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Wait – what? Indeed, the 25-year-old second year law student had thrown her hat in the ring and ended up the successful candidate in her First Nation’s election. For the next four years, she will be in charge of overseeing the lives of many people living in the Birdtail Sioux First Nation. As UM professor and Free Press columnist Niigaan Sinclair wrote, she has her work cut out for her. Speaking with Chief Bunn last April after she finished exams, Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law, spoke to her about what lay ahead, raised that daunting situation. Bunn responded with a positive outlook, rather than with a sense of being intimidated, saying, “Yeah, I think Niigaan said I was ambitious. I do probably come across as ambitious and in terms of taking on this role at such a young age and also managing that with everything else I have going on. But I think there’s a lot of potential to do some really great, fantastic things in my community. And I know my community is excited to enter a new era, this new chapter together alongside me. So, I think that’s really exciting.”
Bunn fully recognized the challenges she was walking into as the new chief, but chose to look forward and rise to the challenge. She assured Jochelson that her legal training thus far would certainly be helpful. “The writing skills and critical thinking skills that have really been enhanced throughout my last two years in law school will be really important for me going forward. Even negotiations in my community and having community meetings and having those important conversations and, drafting band council resolutions and stuff like that.
“I think my experience through law school has really shaped that as one of my strengths that I think communication and the ability to be an effective communicator and writer. In terms of reintegrating traditional legal systems in my community, I think that’s definitely a priority.”
Recalling her years of hockey training, she realized the skills it taught her including time management and work ethic. “I’m not scared to put my head down and go to work and to grind things out,” she said. “I kind of mentioned it earlier, but I’ve never been really one to back down from a challenge. And I do enjoy a good challenge.”
Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law, records an episode of the Robson Radio podcast with Tréchelle Bunn, Chief of the Birdtail Sioux First Nation and a third-year law student at Robson Hall.
Listen to a complete conversation with Tréchelle Bunn about her extraordinary year with Dr. Richard Jochelson and Christine Mazur on the Robson Radio Podcast.