Indigenous Voices |
Indigenous Peoples are Canada’s original forest and conservation professionals, and today, they shape every facet of the sector.
The stories below profile both established Indigenous professionals in the forest and conservation sector and young people who have just begun their green career pathway. They’ve tried different jobs, studied at various levels, and had diverse experiences that have led them to where they are today.
The profiles of Indigenous professionals can also be found in PLT Canada’s A Guide to Green Jobs in Canada: Voices of Indigenous Professionals.
And the Voices of Indigenous Youth can be viewed on this map as well.
Blaze Head – Opaskwayak Cree Nation
Blaze Head Opaskwayak Cree Nation Participant, Outland Youth Employment Program Dream Job: Natural Resources Blaze’s top three duties as an OYEP participant were brush cutting, tree planting and lifting trees. The best parts of his Green Job were meeting lifelong friends and all the knowledge and experience he gained. Blaze is currently finishing his Grade 12 courses. In his spare time, he likes to go ice fishing, hunting, trapping, fishing, snowmobiling and ATVing.
Meghan Jourdain – Fort William First Nation
Meghan Jourdain Fort William First Nation Crew Leader in Training, Outland Youth Employment Program Dream Job: Leader/Mentor Meghan has worked at OYEP as a Ranger (two years) and a Crew Leader in Training (three years). Typically, her work days would include tree planting, trail clearing and certification training. Her five years at OYEP were life changing, and she even got to join the British Columbia camp in 2019. Meghan looks forward to new opportunities, people, projects and more every season.…
Warren Iserhoff – Moosonee
Warren Iserhoff Moosonee Sawmill Spareman, Rayonier Advanced Materials Dream Job: Heavy Duty Mechanic Warren’s top three duties as a sawmill spareman were heavy lifting different size logs, fixing Debarker log machines and the operation of log decks. He liked that he was given the opportunity to see the many operations and processes of how timber goes from logs to lumber. Warren said he learns and works best through hands-on activities, so he is looking to pursue carpentry as a career.
Shawn Tssessaze – Dene
Shawn Tssessaze Dene Participant, Outland Youth Employment Program Dream Job: Crew leader As an OYEP participant, Shawn’s main tasks were brush cutting, tree planting and cleaning. His favourite part of the job was using the brush saw.
Benedict Langille – Seine River First Nation
Benedict Langille Seine River First Nation Participant, Outland Youth Employment Dream Job: Forestry Sector While Benedict was a first- and second-year OYEP participant, he enjoyed team building, working and gaining experience with tools (like a brush cutter, axe and chainsaw), and obtaining new skills and putting them to practice on the job. Benedict said he also gained a drive to push himself while doing piece work like tree planting. He spent most of his days doing bush work, tasks around…
Page 15 of 20
