Co-Facilitator of the Indigenous Focused Peer Support Workshops
Peer Support Specialist

Amanda Conway has been a member of the Brandon Police Service since 2016. She is currently in the Community Policing Unit. As part of her role, among many other responsibilities, Amanda is the service’s first Indigenous Liaison Officer. Before policing, Amanda graduated in 2011 from the University of Manitoba with a degree in Social Work. Her work experience includes mental health crisis services and community corrections within Manitoba Justice. She remains a Registered Social Worker through the Manitoba College of Social Workers and a Social Work Field Educator for the University of Manitoba.

Additionally, she is nearing completion of the Honours Bachelor of Arts in Policing program at Wilfrid Laurier University. Sharing her knowledge and experience, Amanda co-facilitated a Thompson River University Social Work community learning course in First Responder and Military Mental Health. Amanda is committed to the community she serves and is largely involved with several Indigenous boards and planning committees, restorative justice, downtown neighbourhood renewal, mental health, and suicide prevention.

In 2020, after noticing the need for peer support within first responder organizations outside of Brandon Police Service, Amanda co-created Project Resilience 911, a not-for-profit Manitoba-based multi-agency peer support initiative for first responders, frontline workers, military personnel, and their families. Project Resilience 911 provides peer support and CISM resources to organizations in need at no cost. It promotes frontline mental health awareness and education through community events. Amanda’s understanding of trauma and stress response inspires her to be there for her peers and the community alike #beyondthecall.

In 2021, Amanda was awarded the first Mental Health Service Award in Manitoba for her distinguished contribution to those suffering from mental health. She has also been recognized as a Champion of Mental Health by the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment. In 2023, she was awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award for her leadership and contributions to the community.

Amanda grew up in a small town in southwest Manitoba. She is Ojibwe and Cree Metis. Her spirit’s name is Two Tobacco Woman. Amanda is honoured to represent local Indigenous communities at the Brandon Police Service. She acknowledges the historically challenging relationships between Indigenous peoples and public service. Thus, her goal is to create cultural safety and a changed experience in the future through unity, truth and reconciliation.

Personally, Amanda is married to another Brandon Police Service member, which has contributed to her increased appreciation for first responder spouses, especially those in the stages of raising their own little people. Off duty, she enjoys traveling and camping, just showing up with her family, hiking, and trail riding. Amanda has two adult children: her daughter Morgan, a registered nurse, and her son, Jayden, a Heavy Equipment Operator. Lastly, but most importantly, she has a three-year-old grandson, Dominic, whom she adores and values every minute she spends with him.