Edmonton Elks to honour Georgina Lightning during Indigenous Celebration Night

by Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – The Edmonton Elks will honour the life and legacy of Indigenous filmmaker, actor and community builder Georgina Lightning during Indigenous Celebration Night at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, September 26.

Lightning died on September 5, 2026, at the age of 63. Her passing was a significant loss to Edmonton’s Indigenous film and arts community, where she was recognized for her work as a filmmaker, actor, producer and advocate for Indigenous storytelling.

Her family will be in attendance as the Elks pay tribute to Lightning during an evening focused on Indigenous culture, community and connection.

For Elks President and CEO Chris Morris, recognizing Lightning is an important part of the organization’s responsibility when hosting an event celebrating Edmonton’s Indigenous community.

“I think, again, if we’re going to have an event like this, we need to make sure that we’re honouring heroes from that community,” Morris said.

Morris described Lightning as “a builder” and someone who contributed to the city.

“She’s someone in the city, and it’s just so tragic what happened,” he said. “I think it’s important that her family understand that we’re with them.”

Morris acknowledged that the organization cannot fully understand what Lightning’s family is experiencing. “We’ll never understand what they’re going through, but we’re here to support them,” he said.

Bringing Edmonton together

The tribute will be part of the Elks’ fifth annual Indigenous Celebration Night, which will bring together football, cultural programming, entertainment and community activities. The game will also recognize the upcoming National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30.

Morris believes sport can help bring people from different backgrounds together by creating shared experiences. “I think you can play a massive role,” he said.

He said people connected through sport can discover common interests and passions, helping reduce barriers between communities.

“By being connected through sport, they see other people that have the same interests and the same love and the same passion, and that reduces barriers between people,” Morris said.

He compared that connection to discovering that someone else shares the same passion for the Elks or Edmonton Oilers.

“This person’s just like me, they love the Elks,” he said. “This person’s just like me, they love the Oilers. And that bridges a gap between people.”

Morris said sometimes the perceived distance between people is greater than the actual distance.

“Sometimes there is no gap, but people just don’t know because they’re uncomfortable,” he said. “As soon as you have that common thing that binds people together, it really does a good job of bridging that, and I think that’s one of the best things about sports.”

A relationship built over time

Morris’s own relationship with Edmonton’s Indigenous community developed throughout his career.

His understanding deepened while he was principal at Spruce Avenue School, where he said more than 70 percent of the students were Indigenous.

“I had a really nice opportunity to engage,” Morris said, recalling smudges and other cultural activities at the school.

“I think that’s where I built, you know, most of my understanding of it,” he said.

Later, through his work with the Elks, Morris said Elder Elizabeth “Betty” Letendre introduced him to the Ben Calf Robe Powwow and helped him understand the historical relationship between the club and Indigenous communities.

“Elder Betty took me under my wing and brought me into the first Ben Calf Robe Powwow here and invited me there and really sort of looked after me and talked to me about the connection that the club has had historically,” Morris said.

“It’s been a long, very fun road,” he said. “My most immersive experience was just dealing with those kids and those families when I was a principal.”

Celebration and giving back

The Elks will also wear orange jerseys during warmup, which will be auctioned after the game, with proceeds supporting the Indigenous Sports Council of Alberta. The club and partners will also distribute 1,800 orange shirts featuring the Elks’ Indigenous logo to youth attending the game.

For Morris, giving back is an essential part of an event that celebrates Indigenous communities. “If you’re going to run an event that celebrates that community, then I think you have to make sure that you’re giving back,” he said.

Morris emphasized that the Elks see themselves as a partner in the celebration. “For me it’s about giving back,” he said.

“We want to put on the biggest show we possibly can to celebrate, but we certainly don’t want to be making money off this.”

The Indigenous symbol featured during the celebration also represents the importance of listening and building relationships, Morris said.

“To me, that symbol represents the fact that we need to have relationships. We need to have communication. We need to have partners on this journey to help us with that.”

Honouring a community builder

For Lightning’s family, the tribute provides an opportunity to see her contributions recognized in the Edmonton community she helped shape.

For Morris, the evening is ultimately about bringing people together and recognizing the people who have contributed to the city.

“I just think we always need to be reminded that we’re all in this together,” he said.

“Like, this is our city together.”

The Edmonton Elks’ Indigenous Celebration Night takes place Saturday, September 26, at Commonwealth Stadium, with kickoff against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 5 p.m. The evening will include Indigenous cultural programming, community activities and recognition of Indigenous contributions, including the tribute to Georgina Lightning.