About Us

Kukik Baker, Aqqiumavvik Society

Kukik Baker is the Executive Director of the Aqqiumavvik Society. She was born and raised in Arviat, Nunavut as part of a very active Inuit harvesting family. She continues to be an active harvester and environmental steward. Baker has worked as a Community Wellness Counsellor and Mental Health and Child Outreach Worker in Arviat before becoming the Executive Director of the Aqqiumavvik Society. She has supported the society since its formation and was integral to the development of its programming, in particular the Ujjiqsuiniq Young Hunters Program. She has extensive experience in providing counselling, intervention, and support to youth and families in difficulty. She is known as a strong Inuit, youth, community, and environmental advocate. Baker has been invited to facilitate workshops and present her work not only locally but also nationally and internationally.

Kendyce Cockney, Inuvialuit Beneficiary from Tuktoyaktuk

Kendyce has lived most of her life in Tuktoyaktuk, where her family is from, in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (Northwest Territories). Kendyce is a Project Manager with the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation where her role is to help build the capacity of Inuvialuit membership in many areas. She really enjoys working for her people and helping them be self-reliant, as individuals and as a community.

Through Kendyce’s current position, she has been involved in a number of climate change initiatives over the years. Living in Tuktoyaktuk, she witnesses the impacts of climate change every day. Some of the challenges faced by her community include coastal erosion, sea level rise, and permafrost thaw as well as changes to traditional hunting routes, animals, and plants. Kendyce is a firm believer in empowering her community to understand and adapt to these changes which are here to stay. 

Kendyce got involved in the Toolkit project because she sees it as an opportunity to share her experience and Inuvialuit perspective and to help other communities learn to do their own climate change research. She has seen first-hand the benefits of her community doing their own research which include building climate change awareness and working on practical solutions together. She is passionate about involving youth, the future leaders, in community projects as well as Elders, the traditional knowledge holders.   

In Kendyce’s limited spare time, she enjoys sewing traditional slippers and mukluks – a skill she is fortunate to be learning from her mother who is a traditional Inuvialuit seamstress.

Dr. Hughie Jones, Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation

Dr. Hughie Jones is community member and Lead Research Scientist for Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation. In addition, he is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability – Ecohydrology Lab with Dr. Mark Johnson. His work focuses on using plant, water, soil and meteorological techniques to understand the impact of climate change and land/resource management on function and sustainability of agricultural, forest, and aquatic ecosystems. A crucial aspect of his research includes public outreach and the communication of research findings to stakeholders in order to maximize the impact of the research he performs (e.g., First Nations, farmers, governments). Currently, he leads the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation (ANSN) Climate and Lakes Project which is a community-led project aimed to increase the capacity of ANSN to monitor climate change and document Traditional Knowledge regarding their traditional territory, culture, and land-use. More specifically, the project team aims to understand 1) how climate impacts water quality and greenhouse gas emissions for two eutrophic lakes (Lac Ste Anne and Birch Lake, AB) located on ANSN, AB and 2) how climate change and environmental degradation has impacted Sioux people’s relationship with their traditional lands (through written, oral, and video accounts).

Shannon Landrie-Crossland, Saskatchewan Métis Harvester

Shannon is the daughter of Gail Trottier and Dennis Landrie and the descendants of Charles Trottier (Ursule Laframboise), Antoine Trottier (Angelique Laframboise) and Moise Landry (Philomene Laframboise) of The Trottier Hunting Brigade. Her family connection is deeply rooted in the lands of the Round Prairie Settlement and extends as far back as the 1850s. Her family names of Landrie, Trottier, and Caron are present in all three land use occupational periods within Round Prairie: Overwintering, Homesteading, and Current.

Shannon was previously employed as an Indigenous Engagement Specialist with X-Terra Environmental Services Ltd. She has nine years direct experience working within federal and provincial (Alberta/Saskatchewan) consultation processes, protocols and legislation through a First Nation, Proponent, Government, and Métis perspective. Prior to her increased involvement in First Nation Consultation, she worked in the forest protection sector from 2002 to 2012. She worked in various roles/levels as an Indigenous Wildland Firefighter contractor and as a seasonal Alberta/Saskatchewan government employee.

As the X-Terra Indigenous Engagement Specialist, she worked with Indigenous communities, industry proponents, and government ministries to develop and maintain positive and meaningful relationships. She worked directly with First Nation communities to process and respond to federal and provincial consultation activities. Shannon also managed the Indigenous Engagement Branch Program and the Building Environmental Aboriginal Human Resources (BEAHR) program as Manager and Instructor. In her role as the Indigenous Branch Program Manager, she developed, implemented, and continuously monitored the X-Terra Indigenous mentoring programs, which included three Indigenous positions: Technician, Monitor, and Laborer. As a BEAHR Instructor, she designed, developed, and implemented the BEAHR training courses to fit the needs of the communities she was working in.

Shannon joined the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) team in June 2020 as its Duty to Consult Liaison Officer. She is currently working on developing a Duty to Consult (DTC) program to support MN-S at the provincial, regional, and local level in their participation with federal and provincial consultation activities. She is also developing DTC training programs for DTC staff, MN-S staff, Métis citizens and the public.

Mike Low, Dehcho First Nations

Mike Low is a Metis who was born and raised in Hay River, Northwest Territories (NWT), spending most of his youth on the land hunting and fishing on Great Slave Lake. After graduating from high school, he completed a diploma in Renewable Resource Management from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and a degree in Environmental Management from Royal Roads University. He has previously worked through the Hay River Metis Government Council as a technician with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans facilitating Indigenous fisheries management projects across the NWT. The projects included carrying out fish studies and monitoring fisheries in places like Great Bear Lake, Nahanni Park Reserve, and the East Arm of the Great Slave Lake (now referred to as the Thai Dene Nene Indigenous Protected Area).

Currently, Mike works as the coordinator for the Dehcho Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management (AAROM) program with the Dehcho First Nations. This program facilitates aquatic research and monitoring in the Dehcho region. Through Dehcho AAROM, the Dehcho Guardians program was created which consisted of hiring two experienced land users from each community to patrol and monitor the watersheds in the traditional territory. Boats, equipment, and training were provided to equip the Guardians with the skills to assist in and carry out aquatic research and monitoring which includes fish studies, mercury research, youth ecology camps, permafrost run-off sampling, water quality sampling, contaminant sampling, and many other projects.

Kara Pictou, The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq

Kara Pictou is the lead for the Mi’kmaw Climate Monitoring Initiative (MCMI) for the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq’s (CMM) Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Her role is community-based and she has several responsibilities related to climate monitoring, including installing various weather monitoring stations, the co-development of climate monitoring toolkits, creating climate related educational resources for all ages, interviewing Traditional Knowledge holders about climate change, and organizing climate change specific training opportunities for the eight Mainland Mi’kmaw communities.

Prior to joining the CMM, Kara was involved with a flood mitigation study for her home community, Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation, monitoring water levels at a local river that is used to help predict the impacts on the physical environment and the surrounding infrastructure. Kara also promotes citizen science and monitoring platforms such as the CoCoRaHS monitoring network.

Ashley Childs, The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq

Ashley is originally from Hamilton, Ontario but has always called Truro, Nova Scotia home. She currently resides in the Debert area with her two miniature dachshunds, Hugo and Scarlett, and her two cats, Molly and Little Kitty.

Ashley earned her Bachelor of Management with a Major in Environment, Society & Sustainability from Dalhousie University in 2013. She then went on to work for Dalhousie’s Faculty of Agriculture in their Advancement Department, concentrating on development and donor relations.

Ashley was one of two recipients in Canada of the TD Meloche Monnex Fellowship Award which allowed her to gain a vast array of experience in the advancement industry including alumni relations, communications, and marketing while still allowing her to gain more experience in capital campaign planning and donor relations.

Ashley started her career with The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM) in July of 2016 as a Project Coordinator where she focused on meeting with community members to gain an understanding of community’s needs as they relate to Forestry to help shape the Mi’kmawey Forestry Program, and the program’s future. In December 2019, Ashley became Senior Director for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources where she now oversees the Mi’kmawey Forestry, Climate Action, and Environmental Services Programs, along with additional files such as Parks Canada, etc.

In Respect & Memory of Cliff Supernault

The late Cliff Supernault participated in the first phase of the Toolkit development and was instrumental in grounding the Toolkit in an ethical space. The Toolkit Team is very grateful for his contributions. To learn more about some of his life’s work, watch his interview below with Jeremy Williams at the Central Regional Gathering for the Indigenous Circle of Experts in September 2017.