Day 1

9:00am - Noon

Pre-Conference Training:

Niagara Region - Patricia Martel

Planning Role

Speaker bio

Dr. Patricia Martel has more than 17 years of experience in emergency management. This includes working with provincial and regional governments, municipalities and Indigenous communities. Patricia completed a PhD focused on operational emergency planning for vulnerable populations to learn how to better transform theory and practice into effective solutions. Patricia has developed recognized best practices for hazard identification and risk assessment, emergency planning for vulnerable groups and public education. This includes the 2012 Provincial HIRA, which was internationally acclaimed for features including pro-active assessment of changes in vulnerability and frequency risk due to factors such as climate change.

11:00am - 1:00pm   

Registration & Refreshments

1:00 - 1:20pm   

Opening Remarks 

1:20 - 2:05pm 

Emergency Management Ontario - Eric Everett

Opening Keynote

Speaker Bio -

Eric Everett is the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Emergency Management Strategy, Monitoring and Intelligence Division at Emergency Management Ontario (EMO). This division is responsible for a variety of strategic functions, including policy and governance, hazard monitoring and risk assessment, ministry emergency management programs, emergency response plans, and continuous improvement. This includes leading the proposed modernization of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. Eric is also co-chair for two national committees: the Senior Officials Responsible for Emergency Management and the Canadian Council of Emergency Management Organizations. Joining EMO in 2022, he was previously Director of the Exercises, Education and Training Branch, where he designed and led the branch’s ongoing transition into the Preparedness Centre of Excellence. He has extensive training in incident management and volunteers for EMO’s first deployable Incident Management Team program. Eric’s passion for emergency management is rooted in 25 years of volunteer experiences. Notably, he is proud to have served as a volunteer firefighter and medical first responder, as well as Training Officer, for two rural municipal fire departments in Northwestern Ontario, for many years. He was born and lived most of his life in rural areas around Thunder Bay, Ontario. Since 2019, Eric has lived in Toronto with his family and in recent years, also splits time on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior near Sault Ste. Marie.

2:05 - 2:50pm 

Red Cross - Karrie Lepoudre, CRSP

Beyond Standard ESS - Addressing Health Needs and Impacts Before and During Emergencies

Take a journey with the Canadian Red Cross to learn about various approaches and experiences addressing health needs and impacts both before and during emergencies and evacuations. Learn about new innovations and opportunities to address Health in emergencies, including examples and stories from across the Country.

Speaker Bio

Karrie began her career with Canadian Red Cross in 2013 as an EM Coordinator where she built up teams and relationships for eight years in Northern Ontario. Throughout this time, she successfully led several L2 responses and spearheaded an EM volunteer mentorship system that allowed the local EM volunteer team to flourish. In the last three years, Karrie has supported in the planning and operation role for supports to First Nation evacuation.  Until recently held the position of Regional Operations Manager, Northern Ontario, EM and in this role, she has been instrumental in nurturing our external relationships and to the success and continuous improvement of our support to Indigenous evacuations. She has successfully acted as FOT Lead and PDCT Deputy Lead on many occasions, including through some of our team’s most demanding and complex responses. Also holds expertise in training and facilitation and has been an instructor for Environmental/Emergency Management programs at Canadore College since 2013.  Combined with her career background in Health and Safety and Environment, her background as an instructor and her many years of organizational knowledge and experience on both the response and readiness side in EM. 

2:50 - 3:05pm

Break 

3:05 - 4:00pm

Two Breakout Sessions:

EMO - Dilprit Shergill 

Provincial Exercise Heatwave

Speaker Bio -

Dilprit Shergill is a Team Lead at Emergency Management Ontario who served as lead planner and exercise controller for "Practiced Ontario 2024: Exercise Heatwave" and previously acted as a Deputy Commander in the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre. He brings over a decade of emergency management experience drawn from service with the Canadian Armed Forces, Canada Border Services Agency, and Public Safety Canada. Mr. Shergill also teaches Emergency Management and Incident Management Systems (IMS), including exercise design. He holds a Master’s in Disaster and Emergency Management from York University and an AMA-CPM designation from the American Management Association.

Hydro One - Shannon Murphy

Powering Preparedness

Shannon will be speaking on “Powering Preparedness,” exploring strategies to enhance community resilience through collective action.

Speaker Bio

Shannon is an experienced emergency manager with over two decades in the field of emergency response and preparedness. Currently serving as an Emergency Manager with Hydro One, Shannon leads a portfolio focused on external partnerships, collaborating with various organizations to enhance resilience. Prior to this role, she spent years in emergency management roles in both the private sector and municipal sector. Shannon began her career as a paramedic with the BC Ambulance Service, providing hands-on emergency care across diverse environments. With a comprehensive background that spans both utility and municipal sectors, Shannon brings a unique perspective on fostering collaboration between stakeholders to strengthen emergency preparedness.

4:00 - 5:00pm  

GES Canada - Michelle Gervais

For Your Consideration - Leveraging Resources, Social Capital, and Robust Planning for Effective Evacuations and Reception Centres

This session will explore the critical components of managing localized community emergencies, focusing on optimizing resources and harnessing social capital during evacuations and reception center operations. Through the use of case studies, the session will highlight the importance of comprehensive emergency plans, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, donation management, and crisis communications to ensure a resilient response. 

Participants will leave equipped with practical steps and strategies that they can take back to their organizations; enhancing preparedness and improving operational effectiveness for future emergencies. 

Speaker Bio -

Michelle Gervais is a highly accomplished Emergency Services professional with extensive experience in emergency management, fire, and paramedic services. Known for her leadership in navigating complex emergencies, she has successfully managed mass evacuations and critical incidents while strategically optimizing resources and strengthening local networks of support. With a proven track record in conducting comprehensive risk assessments, spearheading strategic planning initiatives, and overseeing emergency operations, Michelle consistently delivers results that enhance both community safety and organizational resilience.

In 2022, she received the Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award for Outstanding Contribution to Emergency Management. Michelle holds a Master’s degree in Emergency Management and is currently pursuing an MBA, further expanding her expertise in leadership and organizational strategy. She also holds multiple professional designations and certifications, which underscore her commitment to driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and building resilient, well-prepared communities. Michelle's hands-on approach and visionary leadership make her a trusted figure in the field, continuously advancing best practices across the sector. 

5:00 - 5:30pm

Tradeshow and Networking

5:30pm

Dinner - Crooked Arrow Catering

Sponsored by Hydro One

Entertainment - Danny Johnson 

A Thunder Bay Musicians’ Association member, Danny Johnson has been a familiar face around Thunder Bay for several years now, whether performing as a solo artist, with his band 21 Gun Fun, with Dueling Pianos, or with his jazz trio.

He is a well-respected singer/songwriter who has performed at venues and festivals around the world and has opened for and toured with many acclaimed acts, including Bob Dylan, The Tragically Hip, Colin James, David Wilcox, Fred Eaglesmith, George Jones, Valdy and Johnny Cash. He was invited to perform for a special tour for the Six String Nation Guitar Tour (a guitar made from various Canadian historical items). He is presently working on an album with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, one of the finest slide players in the world, who was awarded a Grammy for his album with Ry Cooder, A Meeting By The River.

Day 2

8:00 - 8:30 am

Continental Breakfast 

8:30 - 9:15 am

Ministry of Natural Resources - Scott Elliot

What Coordinated Response Should Include: Perspectives from a guy who’s been there

What is Coordinated Response? When is Unified Command the best way to go? How do we delineate responsibilities between the ICP and the EOC?  What is inside the tape and outside the tape? How do we support 24 hour operational cycles? And how do we do it for a week? Or 2? Or more?  

We can all read the reports from major WUI reviews, and we likely have. Often, discussions, agreements, plans and training sessions focussed on coordinated response during wildland urban interface scenarios focus on short-term, operational integration. However, the reality is that we also need to be prepared for long-term, fully integrated, coordinated actions involving all aspects of multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional incident management and emergency operations center operations. 

With an eye to the future. this presentation will draw from first-hand experiences, some of them integrated into those reports, some of them not. Some of the responses were fully successful, others were less successful but led to the development of some best practices that have continued to be refined and utilized in several major WUI emergencies through western Canada in the last several years.  

Speaker Bio

Scott Elliott has been involved in wildfire management for over 30 years in increasingly senior roles, including Type 1 Operations Section Chief and Type 1 Incident Commander. In those roles, he actioned several high-impact, multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional fires, requiring coordination of air and ground resources from many different wildfire and municipal fire department agencies. Notably, he was Operations Section Chief in the 2016 Horse River Fire in Fort McMurray AB, an Incident Commander in Unified Command on the 2017 Kenow Fire in Waterton National Park, and Incident Commander for 2 tours on the 2019 Chuckegg Creek Fire around High Level AB that impacted multiple municipalities and Indigenous Communities. 

He was also part of the multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team in Alberta that developed the initial Alberta Wildland Urban Interface Guidelines in 2017/18, along with several municipal Fire Chiefs, staff, Alberta Emergency Management Agency and Alberta Wildfire. He is currently the Provincial Fire Operations and Response Coordinator with Ministry of Natural Resources, Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where he is responsible for various response programs, including the Ministry Emergency Operations Center, Incident Management Teams, operational functions standards and operational strategic planning coordination. In February 2024 he was part of a small Canadian team of operational subject matter experts sent to Chile to provide an operational assessment and recommendations report after a devastating wildland urban interface fires impacted over 14000 homes and killed 131 people.

9:15 -10:15 am 

Air Ontario Flight 1363 - Alec Simpson

Lessons Learned - Dryden Air Crash

This presentation will be a reflection on the importance of established plans and procedures, the requirement to test those procedures, and to ensure that there is continual improvement. The response to the Air Ontario Aircraft Crash on March 10, 1989, by the community of Dryden, is an excellent example on how both a community and responsible mutual aid agencies came together in a time of crisis. Lessons learned from a night exercise on November 1, 1988 to test the revised Dryden Airport Emergency Plan, those of associated mutual aid agencies, and the implementation of required updates, assisted in the overall response to the accident. This included the emphasis on command, control, coordination and communication. The presentation will also provide some of the findings from the investigation into the accident, the Moshansky Commision of Inquiry, and the safety changes to the aviation industry, which were a result of the lessons learned from this tragedy. 

Speaker Bio

Alec was born in Thunder Bay, has lived across Northern Ontario, and is very proud of his Northern roots. In 1985 Alec joined Transport Canada in Ottawa with varying positions in airport planning, safety, security, and emergency planning.  As Senior Emergency Planner, he was responsible for overseeing the national airport emergency planning program. These included the development of plans and procedures for responses to air crashes, terroism, and other emergencies affecting the safe operations at airports. He monitored 12 exercises annually across Canada, including the air crash exercise at Dryden Airport in 1988. He would later return 4 months later as a representative at the fatal air crash at Dryden Airport on March 10, 1989. He completed his career as the Senior Director Environmental Management for the department, which included the development of aircraft de-icing procedures, and environmental management plans at airport facilities. During his career, Alec worked domestically and internationally, and mentored many employees in management excellence, leadership and career development. As a consultant, he has worked in airport operations and environment with the International Civil Aviation Organization over the past 6 years.  

10:15 - 10:30 am

Break

10:30 - 11:15 am

Niagra Region - Patricia Martel, PhD

Vulnerable Persons Planning and Considerations

Speaker Bio

Dr. Patricia Martel has more than 17 years of experience in emergency management. This includes working with provincial and regional governments, municipalities and Indigenous communities. Patricia completed a PhD focused on operational emergency planning for vulnerable populations to learn how to better transform theory and practice into effective solutions. Patricia has developed recognized best practices for hazard identification and risk assessment, emergency planning for vulnerable groups and public education. This includes the 2012 Provincial HIRA, which was internationally acclaimed for features including pro-active assessment of changes in vulnerability and frequency risk due to factors such as climate change.

11:15 - Noon

Two Breakout Sessions:

FireSmart - Dale Smyk 

FireSmart Program

FireSmart is a national program directed at lessening the threat of wildfires to communities. Ontario, along with other provinces, has had an active program for several years. Given the recent wildfire related losses that have been suffered by many communities, there is renewed and increasing interest in the program. The presentation will address the goals of the program and the steps that communities can take to make them more fire safe. 

The prerequisite for a FireSmart program is the development of a FireSmart plan for the community. The Ministry of Natural Resources provides funding for a plan which can be developed by the community or an outside consultant. The presentation will focus on the planning process, using examples from plans that have been written for First Nations and towns in Northwestern Ontario.

Speaker Bio

Mr. Smyk graduated from Lakehead University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics. In 1975, he entered the Masters in Environmental Studies program at York University in Toronto. Early in his career, he was employed in forest fire management with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Later, he worked 5 years as an environmental consultant for TransCanada PipeLines. He joined Emergency Management Ontario in 2002 and provided emergency preparedness and response services to municipalities and First Nations in the northwestern part of the province. Dale retired in January 2011.

In 2017, his company contracted to write FireSmart plans for First Nations and municipalities. To date, its team has worked on 40 First Nations and 10 municipality FireSmart plans in Northern Ontario. Dale continues to be involved in emergency management through consulting and presentations to communities and groups.

Ontario Provincial Police 

Session Bio - TBD

Speaker Bios -

Detective Staff Sergeant Dan Dusto is currently a Unit Commander and Major Case Manager within the OPP’s Financial Crimes Services. D/S/Sgt. Dusto’s portfolio includes oversight of the Economic Crime and Corruption Unit, CAFC Coordination and Community Support Team, and the OPP Cyber-Enabled Fraud Team. He also manages the highly complex criminal investigations undertaken by both the OPP Anti-Rackets Branch and Ontario Serious Fraud Office. 

Detective Sergeant Lynn Danis is currently the team leader for the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center’s Coordination and Community Support Team. D/Sgt. Danis’ work with the CAFC has contributed to the development of a national response to financial crime through awareness, prevention, disruption, and intelligence initiatives. Since 2023 D/Sgt. Danis has also played a critical role in leading the creation and development of the OPP’s nationally recognized Cyber-Enabled Fraud Team. 

Noon - 1:00 pm

Lunch 

1:00 - 2:00 pm

West Kelowna Fire Chief - Jason Brolund (Virtual)

2020 McDougall Creek Wildfire

Join West Kelowna Fire Rescue Fire Chief Jason Brolund for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the 2023 McDougall Creek Wildfire. In August of 2023, West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation was devastated by a fast-moving wildfire, fueled by high winds and extreme drought conditions. At the height of the fire over 35,000 were evacuated and 30,000 on evacuation alert across the region. Sadly, 190 homes were lost however there was no loss of life. Emergency responders came from around the province and across the globe to help. The event attracted international media attention. Chief Brolund will share the story of the massive emergency response, the communities’ resilience and what to expect after a major emergency incident turns the world around you upside down.  

Speaker Bio -

Jason serves as the Fire Chief for the growing community of West Kelowna and Westbank First Nations. Jason led hundreds of firefighters through the devastating McDougall Creek Wildfire in the summer of 2023, evacuating over 25,000 residents and saving thousands of homes from destruction. Previously, Jason served as Deputy Fire Chief with the Kelowna Fire Department. Jason has been involved in emergency services for the past 28 years. He was directly involved in the emergency management component of major wildfires and floods in British Columbia and as a Venue Fire Commander during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Jason holds a Bachelor degree in Technology with a specialization in Emergency Management. He has been awarded the British Columbia Provincial Fire Services Long Service Medal and the Canadian Fire Services Exemplary Services Medal. In 2022, Jason was named West Kelowna Citizen of the Year. Jason is passionate about protecting communities from Wildfire and serves on the board of the Fire Chiefs Association of British Columbia. 

2:00 - 3:00 pm  

Preparedness Labs Incorporated - Jeff Donaldson, PhD

Role of Social Capital in Community Resilience

Whole of society means inclusion of all four spheres: civil (residents), public (government agencies), private (corporations) and not for profit (community groups and national organizations). Research demonstrates that communities with strong social capital, including trust and norms of reciprocity, have better post event outcomes. Social capital is fostered, maintained and lost through intentional relationships across the spheres. A key component for success and our goal is the operationalization of theoretical concepts, the process by which the practitioner translates the ideas into executable steps. Northern Ontario has both unique challenges and opportunities to leverage social networks to build capacity and capability across the four pillars of emergency management, with notable untapped potential. 

Speaker Bio -

A veteran, author, and professor specializing in preparedness communications, readiness analytics and community resilience. As the Principal Researcher at Preparedness Labs Incorporated, he provides education on adopting a prepared life for individuals, families and communities through books, online courses and 1-1 mentorship. Jeff lectures in the Disaster and Emergency Management program at Royal Roads University, where he posits the foundations of preparedness are personal responsibility, attitude, relationships and strategic thinking. He serves on the Board of Directors for the International Social Capital Association and local organizations. 

Jeff is an avid backcountry paddler and host of Canada’s #2 podcast on emergency preparedness, Inside My Canoehead. 

3:00 - 3:15 pm

Break

3:15 - 4:00 pm

Two Breakout Sessions:

Shuniah Fire & Emergency Services Fire Chief - Blair Arthur

Technology for Emergency Operations Centres  

Blair will be delivering a presentation in which he defines an emergency operations centre, the challenges that come with EOC’s, and the technology that can be adopted to overcome those challenges.  

Enbridge - Evan Friesen & Bill Taylor

Emergency Preparedness & Response Planning

Speaker Bios - TBD

4:00 - 5:00 pm  

Mental Health - Steve Fraser

Building Resilient Communities

Building resilient communities is complex. Building resilience in any organization is a task that all members must be dedicated to, and in achieving resiliency, we allow for healthy teams that can offer community support through integration of trauma informed care.  Knowing the impacts of language, attitudes and having a knowledge of community resources are among a host of other value added services. Understanding what resilience truly means and how to achieve this, is the first step in creating a healthy community. 

Speaker Bio -

Steve Fraser is a co-author of Resilient Minds, an approved instructor for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, and a certified Field Traumatologist. Steve has over 28 years of experience in the fire service and recently retired from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services. During his career, Steve was the coordinator of the VFRS CISM/Peer support team, managing a peer support team of over 45 firefighters and eventually transitioned into a full time position as Captain of Mental Health and Wellness.  During his time in the fire service, Steve partnered with the CMHA to create, and deliver the Resilient Minds program. Today this is a national program being offered in every province and territory in Canada. In addition to his work with CMHA developing and delivering mental wellness education, he is actively involved with nationwide research groups. Collaborating with the University of Regina, University of PEI, Western, McMaster, Dalhousie and Firewell, a health and wellness community for firefighters. Steve is the recipient of numerous awards, both provincially and nationally for his work with first responders.  Through lived experiences he brings a unique, empathetic approach to the culture and issues first responders face. 

5:00 - 6:30 pm

Networking

Day 3

8:00 - 8:30 am

Continental Breakfast 

8:30 - 9:30 am

Thunder Bay & Area Food Strategy - Courtney Strutt & Sarah Siska

Building an Emergency Food Plan: Lessons Learned from Thunder Bay, Ontario 

In Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada a municipal level Emergency Food Plan (EFP) has been developed through a network-based, civil society initiative that addresses dignified food access during medium to large-scale emergencies. Grounded in community-based research, the EFP was designed through an ongoing process of collaboration amongst key food access actors in the community to ensure preparedness when the next emergency strikes, whether that is a flood, fire, or severe heat/cold event. As the first municipally-endorsed plan of its kind in Canada, the EFP raises crucial, previously unaddressed questions about emergency food access: where does the capacity and infrastructure for response come from, who pays for it, and how do we ensure vulnerable people have their needs met with dignity? 

This presentation will share an overview of how the EFP was created, its most current evolution, and lessons learned in the process of creating, maintaining, and updating the plan that are relevant to other practitioners.

Speaker bios

Courtney Strutt - Emergency Food Plan Coordinator, Thunder Bay + Area Food Strategy 

Courtney Strutt has been working in the field of community-based research and program development for over 15 years with a focus in education, Indigenous community development, and food systems work in the era of climate change. These areas of focus coalesced in her role as the Emergency Food Plan Coordinator with the Thunder Bay + Area Food Strategy, where she has guided the development of a collaborative community-led Emergency Food Plan for Thunder Bay, the first of its kind in the city. 

Sarah Siska - Coordinator, Thunder Bay + Area Food Strategy 

Sarah Siska has experience in community food systems work through grassroots food organizing and as a previous member of the Vancouver Food Policy Council. Her recently completed master’s thesis looked at justice-oriented food system transformation around the Lake Superior watershed. She is the current coordinator of the Thunder Bay + Area Food Strategy. 

9:30 -10:30 am

Two Breakout Sessions:

Indigenous Services Canada - Cheri Roy, R.N., BScN., MPH

Strengthening Responses during Social Emergencies

This session will explore the role of Health Emergency Management (HEM) in responding to social and health crises within First Nations communities, with a particular focus on First Nation communities in Northwestern Ontario. The presentation will outline the framework for managing social emergencies—events that threaten human health, life, or community well-being, and exceed local capacities. Key topics include crisis management, the process of requesting emergency assistance, declaring a state of emergency, and coordinated health responses. 

Cheri Roy will discuss the prevalence of social emergencies, such as opioid crises and mental health challenges, and provide a case study showcasing community experiences and resilience. The session will also highlight the importance of partnerships between Indigenous communities, governments, and external agencies in ensuring culturally relevant and effective emergency responses. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of strategies for addressing social emergencies in First Nations communities and learn about the supports available for effective, culturally sensitive crisis management. 

Speaker bio

Cheri Roy, R.N., BScN., MPH – Manager, Policy Development/Senior Policy Advisor, Health Emergency Management, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Ontario Region 

Cheri Roy is Odawa from Sheshegwaning First Nation and part of the Anishinabek Nation. She is a graduate of Laurentian University in the Northeastern Ontario Collaborative Nursing Program. Cheri completed her Master of Public Health with a Nursing Specialization from Lakehead University. Cheri has 30 years of community health and social experience working in First Nation communities in various capacities. Currently, Cheri is the Manager, Policy Development and Senior Policy Advisor Health Emergency Management with Indigenous Services Canada - First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Ontario Region. Cheri is a member of the Health System and Recovery Transformation Table to represent Indigenous Services Canada. The Health System Recovery and Transformation Table will be the health system oversight structure for the Northeast and Northwest Regions. Ontario Health is evolving its current regional table format into a Health System Recovery and Transformation structure focusing on recovery and rebuilding, leveraging the lessons learned to initiate transformation, while remaining vigilant in emergency management and preparedness. 

Cheri has been actively involved as Co-Chair and Chair of Aboriginal Employees Network (AEN) until 2018. She was one of the driving forces, along with other AEN members and FNIHB employees, in the development and implementation of the Aboriginal Peoples Employment Program.  Additionally, Cheri has gained tremendous knowledge and experience in the areas of health education, health emergency management, social emergencies, health information systems, health research, health promotion and disease prevention initiatives while serving as a member of various local, regional and national advisory committees and working groups. 

Ministry of Natural Resources - Sarah Allen 

Wildland Fire Risk Mitigation and Community Planning 

TBD

Speaker bio

Sarah Allen is the Provincial Coordinator for the Mitigation and Partnerships Unit in Aviation, Forest Fire, and Emergency Services Branch of the MNR. Sarah began her career with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in 2006. Prior to moving to AFFES, Sarah was the A/Policy Specialist for Species at Risk Branch and the Resource Liaison Specialist with the MNRF Timmins District. She started with AFFES in 2009 in Sudbury as the Regional Fire Advisor where she was responsible for leading the FireSmart, Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and fire suppression agreement programs and was involved in the development of the Wildland Fire Management Strategy. In 2016, Sarah began working in Sault Ste Marie as the Provincial Fire Prevention and Education Program Advisor where she led the fire prevention and compliance program for AFFES. She is a Type 1 Plans Chief with experience working on many out of province deployments, and over the past 12 years worked on some of Ontario’s most recent notable fires. Sarah also holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Forestry, as well as a Masters of Science in Forestry from Lakehead University. In her personal time, Sarah was in the dog sled sprint racing circuit, running a 6-dog team. She is also an avid angler and hunter and enjoys spending time training her German Shorthair Pointers for upland bird hunting in the pheasant fields.  

10:30 - 10:45 am

Break

10:45 - 11:30 am

Canadian Disaster Response Organization - Dr. Campbell Page

Strategic Trauma-Informed and Resilience-Focused Responses to Emergencies

With an emphasis on First Nations and other Indigenous communities Campbell will focus on the major importance of using pre-emergency preparation and training to prevent and mitigate the psychological consequences of emergency responses. He will emphasize how, through recognizing and honouring "We are All Treaty People", Indigenous People must lead the way, and how non-indigenous communities will also benefit from Treaty based, trauma-informed, resiliency-focused (TIRF) disaster response. CDRO is integrating TIRF into strategic disaster response leadership. We are here to help, in this, and all areas of strategic disaster response leadership. 

Speaker bio

Neibow Wabusk, Campbell Page, is of Môsonîw Ililiw decent through his maternal Alisappi and Archibald family from Moose Factory. Like his father was, he is also a member of the Red River Métis Nation with roots in the Peguis First Nation. Campbell believes we are all kin, that we have responsibilities to one another and all our relatives. It is traditional Cree teachings that are healing his own trauma and they play an important role in who he is. He is trained as an Indigenous Healer. He holds advanced degrees and training in psychotherapy, community engagement, and multicultural psycho-spiritual care. His present practice is focused on Indigenous-centred psychotherapy for Indigenous people. He also serves as an Indigenous consultant, with CDRO. He is a CDRO Board member as the Indigenous Peoples Liaison. 

11:30 - Noon

Closing Remarks