Past Visionary Conversations

What does a decolonized Canada look like?

How do we build a Canada based on mutual respect and fairness between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians?

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Panelists:

Dr. Emma LaRocque [MA/80, PhD/99]
Professor, Native Studies, University of Manitoba

Dr. Emma LaRocque, is a scholar, author, poet and professor in the Department of Native Studies, University of Manitoba. Her prolific career includes numerous publications in areas of colonization/decolonization, Canadian historiography, racism, violence against women, and  First Nation and Metis literatures and identities. Her poems are widely anthologized in prestigious collections and journals. LaRocque is originally from a Cree-speaking and land-based Metis family and community from northeastern Alberta.

Dr. Cary Miller
Associate Professor and Head, Native Studies, University of Manitoba

Dr. Cary Miller is Anishinaabe and descends from St. Croix and Leech Lake communities. Prior to joining the UM, she held positions at the University of Wisconcin-Milwaukee. Her research is in Anishinaabe leadership in the early 19th century, Anishinaabe women’s history, Treaties and sovereignty, Wisconsin Indian History, and Cultures of the Great Lakes Region.

Dr. Katherine Starzyk
Associate Professor, Social and Personality Psychology;
Director Social Justice Laboratory, University of Manitoba

Dr. Katherine Starzyk is a Polish-Canadian academic and a founding member of the Centre for Human Rights Research and a research affiliate of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Side by side with Ry Moran, Lorena Sekwan Fontaine, Dean Peachey, Katelin Neufeld, Iloradanon Efimoff, and Aleah Fontaine, Katherine is working to develop a measure of reconciliation that is acceptable to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

Dr. Michael Yellow Bird
Professor and Dean, Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba

Dr. Michael Yellow Bird is a celebrated scholar, author, inspirational teacher and passionate advocate for decolonization, Indigenous social innovation and creativity, and institutional and environmental systems change. He came to the UM in 2019 from North Dakota State University. He is a citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold reservation in North Dakota and identifies as Arikara (meaning “The People”) and Hidatsa (meaning “Willows”).

Declaring a climate emergency: What happens now?

Scientists tell us climate change is real. It’s here and we are largely unprepared. What specific action can governments and individuals take to help prepare us for an uncertain future?

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Panelists:

Dr. Myrle Ballard [BA/94, MSc/99, PhD/12]
Assistant Professor, Indigenous Scholar, Department of Chemistry
University of Manitoba

Dr. Myrle Ballard knows how climate changes destroys lives. An Anishinaabe from Lake St. Martin First Nation, she has spent over 20 years researching, documenting and exposing the impacts of floods and environmental injustice on her homeland. Ballard has worked with UN organizations on biological diversity and Indigenous Peoples and is a member of the Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Subcommittee for the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. She is the director of Flooding Hope: The Lake St. Martin First Nation Story; and Wounded Spirit: Forced Evacuation of Little Saskatchewan First Nation Elders.

Distinguished Professor David Barber [BPE/82, MNRM/89]
Distinguished Professor of Environment and Geography, Associate Dean (Research), Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources, University of Manitoba

For over three decades, Professor Barber has studied the impacts of climate change on sea ice and its consequences for our world. His efforts have sparked international networks, created innovative research facilities and collected vital data on the rapidly changing Arctic. Barber was recently appointed Scientific Director of the Churchill Marine Observatory. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Arctic-System Science, is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2016. 

Curtis Hull [BSc/76, BScEE/81, ExtEd/88/08] 
Project Director, Climate Change Connection

Curtis Hull is on a mission to create a fossil-fuel-free future. Trained by Al Gore through the global Climate Reality Project on how to educate and generate climate change solutions, Hull co-founded Bike Winnipeg and Transition Winnipeg to encourage low-carbon living. He has worked on the City of Winnipeg’s Climate Action Plan 2018 and the Province of Manitoba’s Climate & Green Plan. Currently, Hull is consulting on sustainability with northern First Nations communities. He has been with Climate Change Connection for nearly 13 years and sits on numerous boards, including: Bike Week Winnipeg, Sustainable Building Manitoba, and Climate Reality Project Canada.

Dr. Zou Zou Kuzyk [PhD/09]
Assistant Professor, Geological Sciences, Centre for Earth Observation Science 
University of Manitoba

Dr. Zou Zou Kuzyk is an emerging climate impacts researcher concerned with how changes to freshwater affect our northern environments. Her focus is on river-ocean interactions in Hudson Bay and James Bay. Kuzyk was co-lead of the Integrated Regional Impact Study for the Greater Hudson Bay Marine Region, which translated knowledge on observed and projected impacts of climate change into plain language for community leaders. She is particularly interested in creating opportunities where science can inform policies on climate action.