Louise Charette, seen in a recent staff photograph, joined CBC Manitoba in 1993. She passed away in hospital on Wednesday, following a long battle with cancer. (CBC)

Charette passed away in hospital Wednesday evening, following a long battle with cancer.
She joined CBC Radio in Manitoba in 1993 and led a distinguished career as a journalist, covering both local and provincial politics.
Among other things, Charette is being remembered greatly for her perceptive and sensitive coverage of aboriginal issues.
In recent months, Charette presented an investigative series on native-run casinos and followed First Nation members who have had to leave their communities in the wake of last spring's floods.
For example, in February, she learned that some flood evacuees' children were not going to school.
Her work has been honoured with numerous awards over the years, including a human rights journalism award in 2000 for "No Safe Haven," a series that aired in 1999 about the lack of housing for the mentally ill.
The series also won an award from the Canadian Mental Health Association.