Stories and Sovereignty: Winter Tales of Water and Love – Nibi Onje Biimaadiiziiwin: Water is Life

Date: Tuesday, January 15th, 2019

Time: 10:00 am-12:00 pm

Location: 2007D Wilson Hall, New College, University of Toronto (St. George Campus)

Panel: Sue Chiblow (PhD, York University) Deborah McGregor (Osgoode Hall) Aimee Craft (Lawyer, University of Ottawa)

Nibi Onje Biimaadiiziiwin: Water is Life brings together three esteemed Indigenous scholars to lead a panel and share knowledge on their stories, experiences and research, to foster dialogue on Indigenous water law and concerns facing our waters and Indigenous communities today. We welcome Sue Chiblow of Garden River First Nation, a PhD student at York University’s Environmental Studies program, examining humanity’s relationship with water, Aimee Craft (Anishinaabe-Métis) who is assistant professor at the Faculty of Common law at the University of Ottawa, specializing in Anishinaabe and Canadian Aboriginal law, and Deborah McGregor, a cross-appointed professor at York University from Osgoode Hall and the Faculty of Environmental Studies, whose research focuses on Indigenous knowledge systems and their various applications toward water, environmental governance and environmental justice. Together these scholars aim to create conversations to support further knowledge and research on water and Indigenous legal traditions.

Sue Chiblow

Sue is from Garden River First Nation. She has worked extensively with First Nation communities in environmental related fields and has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Environment and Management. She is currently pursuing a PhD in the Environmental Studies program at York University. Her PhD research examines humanity’s relationship to water and efforts on improvement for humans, animals and finding reconciliation with water itself.

Aimee Craft

Since 2013, Craft has lead research on Anishinaabe water law. An Indigenous lawyer (Anishinaabe-Métis), Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Common law at University of Ottawa and an Adjunct Professor in Law at the University of Manitoba, her expertise is in Anishinaabe and Canadian Aboriginal law. Professor Craft is one of the lead researchers on Water sustainability and indigenous laws and on hydo-impacted communities in Northern Manitoba. In 2016 she was voted one of the top 25 most influential lawyers in Canada.

Deborah McGregor

Professor Deborah McGregor joined York University’s Osgoode Hall law faculty in 2015 as a cross-appointee with the Faculty of Environmental Studies. Professor McGregor’s research has focused on Indigenous knowledge systems and their various applications in diverse contexts including water and environmental governance, environmental justice, forest policy and management, and sustainable development. Her research has been published in a variety of national and international journals and she has delivered numerous public and academic presentations relating to Indigenous knowledge systems, governance and sustainability. Professor McGregor, who is Anishinaabe from Whitefish River First Nation, Birch Island, Ontario, is the Primary Investigator on two current SSHRC-funded projects: Indigenous Environmental (In)Justice: theory and practice and Indigenizing the First Nations Land Management Regime.