Come out and connect with other participants while enjoying the music of Vern Cheechoo, or bring your own instrument and join in. Refreshments provided. Vern Cheechoo is a Cree folk and country singer-songwriter from Moose Factory. He is most noted as a two-time Juno Award nominee for Best Aboriginal Recording, receiving nods at the Juno Awards of 2000 for his solo album Touch the Earth and Sky, and at the Juno Awards of 2003 for The Right Combination, an album recorded as a duo with Lawrence Martin.

Join us in a spiritual and cultural practice that involves gathering at dawn to witness the rising sun, often accompanied by prayers, songs, and offerings, to connect with the natural world.

Pull up a seat and take the opportunity to network with your peers and colleagues while enjoying a full buffet breakfast.

Join us in a cultural ceremony to mark the start of many great discussions to come. With welcoming words and drumming from local Nations and hosts, we will set the context for the remainder of the week.

Visit the coffee & snack bar to recharge with refreshments. Be sure to sew a quilt block with Quilts for Survivors and visit vendor and sponsor booths to start a dialogue with these fantastic organizations.

Sharing wisdom and diverse perspectives on land stewardship, we find inspiration and guidance from our elders to foster a deeper connection to the land and a collective commitment to care for it responsibly.

Grab a chair, savour a beef & green teriyaki buffet lunch, and make meaningful connections with your peers and colleagues. Sponsor and vendor booths will be open for more engaging networking.

Join your fellow draw winners in this private session to learn about the importance and significance of birch, and try your hand at mastering the craft of basket making.

Join our youth as we explore and discuss their knowledge and perspectives on land stewardship. Through their eyes, we can see our future take shape.

Take advantage of this opportune moment to foster connections and forge new ones. Sew a quilt block with Quilts for Survivors, visit vendor and sponsor booths, and enjoy delightful refreshments.

Explore First Nation assertions of inherent jurisdiction and the ongoing pursuit of Indigenous self-determination.

Meet in the lobby at 4:45 to carpool or take the shuttle to Batchewana for dinner.

Learn about the traditional Woodland art style while painting along with our featured local artist Lucia Laford, an Anishinaabe and Irish artist born in Baawaating, ON.

Complimentary breakfast provided. Join your peers and colleagues for a delicious bite and delightful conversation to foster meaningful connections.

Start todays events with fresh perspective. Take in some welcoming words from hosts and prepare for the conversations to come with the wider group.

Updates on exciting projects going on in different Nations, followed by a round the room discussion

Visit the refreshment table while building connections with other participants, visiting vendor and sponsor booths to start a dialogue with these fantastic organizations.

Integrating cultural values into contemporary land practices

First Nations’ approach to sustainable forestry prioritizes the long-term well-being of the forest ecosystem and its species, as well as supporting the people that depend on forests for sustenance, spiritual, and cultural practices. Forests are understood and valued holistically from the soil and water, through understory to overstory, from early stages of forest succession to old growth. Elders and Knowledge Holders have identified species of plants that have cultural and ecological significance. We are supporting our area First Nations in exploring how they may articulate their indicators and metrics of forest health. This session will highlight two ongoing projects that integrate Indigenous knowledge into forest management planning. Breakout groups will enable deeper discussion on these themes.

Pull up a seat and take the opportunity to network with your peers and colleagues while enjoying a fry bread taco lunch buffet. Make sure to visit the vendors and sponsor booths.

This panel will feature perspectives from across Turtle Island, with panelists from the Great Bear Forest Carbon Project in the West, to the Wabanaki Land Back Partnership in the East, and the National Indian Carbon Coalition to the South. Join us to hear how Nations are overcoming challenges and leveraging sustainable financing to advance diverse visions for their territories – from Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas to Land Back and assertion of rights.

The panel discussion will be followed by an interactive breakout activity facilitated by the Restore, Assert and Defend (RAD) Network, to invite dialogue and explore what is needed and possible across different territories and contexts.

Delve into the national Guardians network and learn about the programming available to Nations through discussions on land-based learning opportunities.

In 2015 the United Nations and its member states set 17 “universal” Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), these are calls to action that are meant to create a more fair, just, and equitable world. The goals were developed through a multi-year process led by the United Nations, involving extensive consultations with member states, civil society organizations and experts from all over the globe. The 17 SDGs are a powerful framework for tackling global challenges, but their true impact lies in how they're adapted and implemented at the local level. While the goals provide a universal vision, it’s crucial that local contexts, cultures, and specific community needs are considered in order to drive meaningful, on-the-ground change.

Localized approaches make it possible to tailor solutions to the unique circumstances of different regions, when communities are directly involved in shaping these solutions, the chances of success and sustainability increase dramatically. From March 2023 to March 2024, Jess and Rosie, on behalf of Plenty Canada, Food Secure Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, and the United Nations, traveled across so-called Canada to showcase the transformative work led by Indigenous communities and organizations in advancing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the cultivation of meaningful, respectful relationships, the creation of community-based support systems, and hundreds of conversations and collaborative brainstorms, we collectively "Indigenized" the UN SDGs. This process reimagined these global goals to better reflect community-driven practices that honor traditional knowledge and place-based ways of being.

By Indigenizing the SDGs, we created ethical spaces for engagement that respect Indigenous worldviews, opening pathways for dialogue between Indigenous communities and settlers. The work we highlighted demonstrated how SDGs are already being tackled every day in both large and small ways—thanks to the remarkable efforts of community members, volunteers, and the organizations that support them. This journey has shown Canada and the world the power of community-driven, Indigenous-led solutions in advancing global sustainability.

Build connections with other participants, visit vendor and sponsor booths, share a tea and learn about wild harvesting from the Wild Basket

Valérie Courtois is a national leader in the movement of Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship. She is the executive director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, an organization that supports Indigenous Nations in honouring the responsibility to care for lands and waters.

The Indigenous Leadership Initiative has worked directly with dozens of First Nations to advance their leadership on the land and has helped secure federal funding for Indigenous Guardians programs and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.
Courtois is also a registered professional forester specializing in Indigenous issues, forest ecology and ecosystem-based management and planning. She is a member of the Innu community of Mashteuiatsh, located on the shore of Peikuakami, or Lac-St-Jean.

Courtois has been the Director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative since 2013. Before that, she served as a forestry advisor for the Assembly of First Nations of Québec and Labrador, forestry planner for the Innu Nation, and as a consultant in Aboriginal forestry, including certification and spatial planning, and caribou planning. In 2007, she was awarded the James M. Kitz award from the Canadian Institute of Forestry for her early-career contributions to the forestry profession.

Courtois holds a degree in forestry sciences from the Université de Moncton, an honourary Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from University of Guelph, and an honorary Doctorate in Forestry Sciences, honoris causa, Université Laval.

She was named to the 2023 TIME100 Climate, the inaugural list of most influential climate leaders. Courtois was the 2024 recipient of the Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions, and in 2023, she won Stanford University’s highest environmental prize, the Bright Award for Environmental Sustainability.

In addition to her work in conservation and planning, Courtois is an avid photographer. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Corporation du Mushuau–nipi, a non-profit that encourages cultural and professional exchanges on the George River. She lives in Happy Valley—Goose Bay, Labrador.

Plated meal

Watch 10 lucky participants complete their Birch baskets while receiving teachings from master canoe builder Chuck Commanda

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Enjoy a buffet breakfast with your colleagues and peers and prepare for the days events.

Start todays events with fresh perspective. Take in some welcoming words from hosts and prepare for the conversations to come with the wider group.

Pathways for Indigenous participation and opportunities in the space

Join the General Manager for an interactive discussion on our 10 year journey as a social enterprise and what the owner First Nations have envisioned for the next 3 to 5 years. Topics will range from Landscape conservation to Cumulative Impacts Court case and Forest Sector Sawmill and Cogen ownership to Enhanced SFL management as shareholders. The floor will be open to questions throughout the discussion from the audience as we explore the strategic direction, our successes, our growth and the challenges in supporting nation building, upholding rights and jurisdiction. Our Plan currently is driven by five goals and 44 objectives – as we continue to expand and achieve “Wahkohtowin"

Build connections with other participants, visit vendor and sponsor booths, grab a coffee and a snack to fuel up for the next sessions.

Learn about a project being led by Wahkohtowin and our owner Nations to (re)connect land and people for conservation and cultural revitalization through Parks Canada's National Program for Ecological Corridors

As the TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge) Elders of the North Shore of Lake Huron, we hold expert Indigenous scientific knowledge of our traditional territories. Indigenous science focuses on ecological relationships and includes a sophisticated understanding of the behavior of environmental contaminants. We believe that glyphosate and the additives that enhance its potency are harming the health and well-being of the water, soil, birds, plants, fish, amphibians, invertebrates, humans and other mammals.

Share a table and network with your peers and colleagues while enjoying a lasagna lunch buffet. Make sure to visit the vendors and sponsor booths.

The opportunity of FSC voluntary certification to uphold rights, and foster engagement, leadership and stewardship

Discovering the role of IPCAs in advancing Indigenous self-determination , biodiversity conservation, and the sustainable use of natural resources

Wrap up the days events with closing remarks. Together we reflect on the unity, purpose, and the connections, made through our collective experience.

Build connections with other participants, visit vendor and sponsor booths for final conversations and dialogues to move forward with.

Experience the cultural significance of a round dance, a traditional Indigenous gathering that fosters unity, connection, and celebration through shared songs, drumming, and dancing in a circle.

Participate in a sacred pipe ceremony, an Indigenous tradition symbolizing connection, prayer, and respect, fostering unity and gratitude while honoring relationships with the land, spirit, and community.

Share a final meal with your peers & colleagues to get ready for the Round Dance to follow.

Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig (SKG) – Shingwauk Teaching Lodge is a teaching and research centre of excellence in Anishinaabe education. As an Anishinaabe post-secondary institute, SKG preserves the integrity of Anishinaabe knowledge and understanding to educate present and future generations. In the early 1800s, Ojibwe Chief Shingwaukonse’ibun had a vision to create a Teaching Wigwam where his people can learn skills and knowledge of the settlers while remaining rooted in Anishinaabe ways of being and knowing. Realizing this vision, SKG provides and develops academic programs, workshops and seminars which reflect the Anishinaabe worldview.

The immersive tour of SKG includes:
• the importance of Bawahting being at the heart of Turtle Island and the Great Lakes
• stories of the great leader Chief Shingwauk including his vision and his role in the Robinson Huron and Superior Treaties
• SKG’s role in Anishinaabek Education and the programs we currently offer and what is coming soon
• and the Medicine Garden and teachings about the four sacred medicines.



Shuttle leaves the Delta at 9:30 am and returns for 11:30 am. Car pooling is also encouraged.