Sask. small business makes final list for national 'Tales of Triumph' contest
A Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan business is one of 15 finalists in Canada Post’s Tales of Triumph contest.
Kaila Lefort, who creates and markets Indigenous beadwork jewelry, told CTV News she felt honoured to be on the list.
“It's a very vulnerable thing to submit an application about something you're so passionate about. It's your small business, right,” the Mahikan Designs owner said.
“I think it's great that Canada Post is recognizing small businesses and trying to help out as much as they can. This year, there are lots of really good contestants on the finalist panel. And I think each and every one of them would be well deserving to win.”
Lefort’s goal is to share her Indigenous culture and art with the world.
She said she sketches out every design and creates it all by hand.
“I always can picture things that I want to make,” she said, saying she often sees things online that inspire her.
“I don't copy anything. I always make things my own. But I'll take three different designs and say I like this piece of that one. I like this part of this one and this one and try and combine them all.”
One goal she has for any piece she creates is to design something that can be worn every day.
“I try to keep my pieces wearable, so they're not too large, that people feel comfortable to wear them like every day.”
She also uses unique materials in her designs.
“I do use porcupine quills and deer antlers, just cut up deer antlers on my pieces. I take the porcupine quills and I harvest those myself and I prep them. And for the deer antlers we find the antlers ourselves,” she said.
She said that beading was something she learned from her mother and sister.
“From there, I kind of just kept practicing and trying different designs,” Lefort said.
“I kind of looked online at different videos and self-taught that way too.”
While she is happy with the business, Lefort said there were still some things she’d like to improve.
“I think my beading has definitely improved, but it's not exactly where I want it to be. So there's always room for improvement. So I'm still working on it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.