Vianne Timmons, former Memorial University of N.L. president, returns Indspire award

Vianne Timmons is pictured at the Legislative Building in Regina, Tuesday, April 10, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Taylor)

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The former president of Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador has returned an award celebrating Indigenous achievement following reports that cast doubt on her claims of Mi'kmaq ancestry.

Indspire spokesman Brandon Meawasige confirmed in an email that Vianne Timmons had returned the award, though he did not say when or why.

Indspire Awards are administered by Indigenous people to celebrate Indigenous people; the return of Timmons' award was first reported by The Independent news outlet in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Memorial's board of regents announced in April that it had ended Timmons' contract after a CBC News investigation scrutinized her claims that her father's great-great-grandmother was Mi'kmaq.

She has said she never claimed to be Indigenous, just to have Indigenous heritage, but she included membership with the unrecognized Bras d'Or Mi'kmaq First Nation in Nova Scotia in her professional credentials for years.

She is listed among the 2019 Indspire Award winners as being Mi'kmaq from Nova Scotia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2023.