It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jenny Jeanes, who left us in the early morning of March 7th, 2025. 

Jenny was born in Ottawa on December 10th, 1976, welcomed by her parents David and Helga and her older brother Andrew. She grew up in the city, not far from her doting paternal grandparents, Bill and Joyce, and enjoyed visits with her maternal grandmother, Aari. After graduating from Nepean High School, she moved to Montreal to attend McGill University where she would pursue several degrees culminating in a Masters of Social Work. She would make Montreal her home for the rest of her life.

Jenny married her husband, Colm Elliott, in 2005 and shortly afterwards they welcomed their daughter Orla, followed by their daughter Olivia. Jenny was a loving and devoted mother, finding deep happiness in her daughters’ joys and successes, and supporting them fiercely through their challenges.

Jenny also gave her time and passion unstintingly in her professional life. For over 20 years, Jenny was at the forefront of Canada’s fight for refugee and migrant rights. She spent two decades leading Action Réfugiés Montréal’s (ARM) program to support people detained for immigration reasons. Throughout her time at ARM, she accompanied countless detained persons and advocated fearlessly for them. She also mentored and supervised dozens of social work and law interns, ensuring her expertise was passed down to future generations of advocates. She worked in close collaboration with others across the sector, including through the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI) and the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), where she served as the vice-president since 2022. Jenny was unrelenting in her fight for justice and never lost sight of who she was doing it for.

Jenny was a loyal friend to so many people throughout her lifetime. Her compassionate and selfless nature touched the lives and hearts of many. She will be remembered for her kindness and generosity as well as her distinctive curly hair and radiant smile.

She is survived by her husband Colm, her daughters Orla and Olivia, her parents, David and Helga, her brother Andrew, his partner Keltie and their child Essie, her aunt Rosemary Antze and uncle Paul and their children Emily and Bridget, and her uncle Brian Jeanes and aunt Denise and their children Alison, Hayley, and Melissa. She also leaves a large community of extended family, close friends, colleagues, and thousands of people she walked with on the road to justice.

A celebration of life for Jenny will be held on Saturday, March 22nd at St James United in Montreal (463 Sainte-Catherine St W, Montreal, Quebec H3B 1B1). The service will begin at 11am, and will be followed by a reception at the same location where light refreshments will be provided. Please note that a livestream of the service will not be offered.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Jenny’s memory to organizations very close to her heart: the Canadian Council for Refugees and the Just Solutions Legal Clinic (at Montreal City Mission).