IEJ Research Symposium 2019 - Indigenous Peoples: Environmental and Climate Justice

Current and former contributors to the Indigenous Environmental Justice Project came together for the Indigenous Environmental Justice Research Symposium on November 23, 2019. The symposium posed an opportunity for students, researchers and activists to present a diverse range of projects and to bolster future opportunities for collaboration between Indigenous peoples and the York community. From methods used to lessons learned, presentations were shared with approximately 85 attendees who were encouraged to dialogue with the presenters.

Find the full report with descriptions of the speakers and their research here.

Anishinaabe artist Patricia Martin lent her talents to the symposium, creating graphic representations to help attendees digest and reflect upon the information shared.

Special thanks to Sue Chiblow for starting the symposium with an opening prayer.

Download the Indigenous Environmental Justice Research Symposium Highlight Report

All presentations were recorded for the IEJ Project Symposium Podcast series, to continue amplifying this work beyond the bounds of academia and into the future. Find the episodes and their descriptions listed below.

Sylvia Plain, community organizer/leader, water walker and canoe builder is a graduate from the University of Toronto (B.A. Political Science). She is from Aamjiwnaang First Nation and has travelled all over the world to learn about and participate in canoe culture. She founded and coordinated the Great Lakes Canoe project, engaging Indigenous youth to build a birch bark canoe.

Max Corne-Klein, recent Master of Environmental Studies graduate from YorkU presents his MES research, which focused on the creation of a podcast highlighting an analysis of IEJ as a necessary prerequisite for Indigenous food sovereignty and climate action.

Anishinaabe kwe Jayce Chiblow, a recent Master of Environmental Studies graduate from YorkU, shares her research on climate change and climate action in her community of Garden River First Nation, Ontario, with a focus on the utilization of land-based learning.

Mahisha Sritharan, Master of Environmental Studies graduate from YorkU, speaks on her research around climate justice and understanding the impacts of climate change in Whitefish River First Nation, ON.

Nasreen Hussain, Master of Environmental Studies graduate from YorkU, presents her documentary short, The Significance of Water, and speaks to her research on human relationships to water.

Courtney Arseneau, a PhD graduate in Community Psychology from Wilfred Laurier, discusses her research around Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and her experience working with Matawa First Nation.

Nicole Latiluppe, Assistant Professor in the department of Human Geography and Physical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Toronto, provides insights into her work for the IEJ project, outlining the importance of language, decolonization, and fostering Indigenous ways of knowing and being.