MES/MESc Speaker Series

Nipissing University and Nipissing First Nation share Treaty lands, environments and communities. Increasingly those working for and within these two groups are engaging to further understand common opportunities and challenges and how best to work towards common goals. This talk will explore the efforts of Nipissing First Nation to advance environmental management, stewardship and relations in the context of re-establishing self-governance and meeting the challenges of today and the future. The evolution of environmental programs at the Nation will be referenced in looking at current and future practices. Particular attention will be given to emerging threats from the placement of industrial production with PFAS or forever chemicals on Nipissing First Nation reserve, Treaty lands and traditional territory.

Nipissing First Nation’s Manager for the Environment and the Director of Lands, Natural Resources, Environment and Economic Development will be on hand to discuss these efforts and to take questions.

This is a hybrid event, please join us in person on campus or remotely via https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qd-yoqjsiGNU-A2MstD9Ix6JQQcfeZW6m#/registration 

Biographies

Curtis Avery, a proud member of Nipissing First Nation (NFN) with roots in M’Chigeeng First Nation, serves as the Environment Department Manager for NFN. Raised in Sudbury, Ontario, a region shaped by its mining industry, Avery developed a strong connection to his Ojibway heritage and a passion for the relationships between humans and nature. His career has focused on fostering this balance, from working as a Fisheries Biologist at the Anishinabek/ Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre, collaborating on projects with 39 First Nations, to serving as a Lands and Resource Coordinator for the Anishinabek Nation, the oldest organization in Canada which has its roots from the Three Fire Confederacy (1700s). In his current role, Avery addresses environmental and regulatory challenges, ensuring the community’s resilience amid ongoing changes.

Cameron Welch is currently Director of Lands, Environment, Natural Resources and Economic Development. He holds a PhD in Anthropology (McGill University) and has over 20 years experience working as a researcher and organizational leader with Indigenous communities in Canada, Central America, Southern Africa and the United States