ABOUT OWEN

Owen Pelletier is of Plains Cree ancestry from Cowessess First Nation Saskatchewan. He is a loving father of four, as well as a grandfather. Currently residing in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Owen is a full-time student at the First Nations University of Canada studying for a degree in Indigenous Social Work.

Having been born into abandonment, neglect, abuse and addictions; Owen has struggled with intergenerational traumas for much of his life. Both of Owen’s parents were victims of the residential school and the Sixties Scoop government projects. Placed in the child welfare system at a young age, Owen found himself exposed to racism, rejection, and discrimination. Owen discovered that drugs, alcohol, violence and individuals such as himself were the answers to his circumstances.

His membership and activities with a Regina street gang fueled a lifestyle of crime, violence and general negativity which meant custody as a young offender and eventually incarceration and time served in various Saskatchewan Correctional Centers.

As well as being a full-time entrepreneur, Owen also works for STR8 UP in Saskatoon. By sharing his story through writing and speaking, Owen has decided to use all of his life experiences as tools to help assist those who may be struggling with the same realities that he has survived.

Owen shares his experiences with abandonment, neglect, and abuse. Addictions, violence, and jails were a normal part of his life as a gangster. He also speaks about the child welfare system, racism, and intergenerational traumas.

​Owen entered recovery through addiction counsellors, detox centers, and treatment facilities. As well as sober living, Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, sponsorship and outreach programming. Owen uses his education combined with his lived experience to give back to communities in a healthy way.

With all this experience Owen now shares his story through Professional Speaking Engagements, Healing workshops, Medicine Wheel presentations, and more!