The country is facing major economic hardship. Rebuilding the country’s economy in partnership with Indigenous peoples will be key to ensuring equitable progress.
Celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day early by joining Canadian Club Toronto on June 4th when expert panelists Former Chief Kim Baird (Kim Baird Strategic Consulting), Professor John Borrows (University of Victoria), Bonnie Leask (Watershed Partners) and Sean Willy (Des Nedhe Group), discuss what we have learned from on-the-ground conflicts like that on Wetʼsuwetʼen territory, Indigenous project ownership, what meaningful partnership looks like, and how we will move forward – together.
This virtual event is free of charge. All you need to access the event is to register.
Kim Baird
Owner, Kim Baird Strategic Consulting
Kim is the owner of Kim Baird Strategic Consulting and offers First Nation related and strategic advice to industry, government and First Nations. While Chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation for over thirteen years, her most notable achievement was when she negotiated and implemented British Columbia’s first urban treaty, replacing the Indian Act with self-governance for her community. She spent six years on the BC Hydro Board – providing her with in-depth knowledge on energy issues in BC. She is on several boards including the Canada Infrastructure Bank, Vancouver Board of Trade, Canada Public Policy Forum, and Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Kim is a member of both the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada and holds an Institute of Corporate Director’s designation.
Professor John Borrows
Professor, Canada Research Chair, Indigenous Law, University of Victoria
John Borrows B.A., M.A., J.D., LL.M. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Osgoode Hall Law School), LL.D. (Hons., Dalhousie, York, Queen’s & Law Society of Ontario), D.H.L, (Toronto), F.R.S.C., is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law at the University of Victoria Law School in British Columbia. His publications include, Recovering Canada; The Resurgence of Indigenous Law (Donald Smiley Award for the best book in Canadian Political Science, 2002), Canada’s Indigenous Constitution (Canadian Law and Society Best Book Award 2011), Drawing Out Law: A Spirit’s Guide (2010), Freedom and Indigenous Constitutionalism ((Donald Smiley Award for the best book in Canadian Political Science, 2016), The Right Relationship (with Michael Coyle, ed.), Resurgence and Reconciliation (with Michael Asch, Jim Tully, eds.), Law’s Indigenous Ethics, all from the University of Toronto Press. He is the 2017 Killam Prize winner in Social Sciences and the 2019 Molson Prize Winner from the Canada Council for the Arts. John is Anishinaabe/Ojibway and a member of the Chippewa of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario, Canada.
Bonnie Leask
Relationship Lead, Watershed Partners
It is the women that came before Bonnie Leask that impels her to continually ask questions about the systems that impact First Nation people. She has spent most of her career challenging the system and comes to the conclusion it’s all broken but the ever present North Star of the journey is the relationships she has developed along the way signal a real energy for change. Leaning and drawing from life experiences – personal & professional – she is on a path of finding a way that is inclusive, responsible and respectful for all citizens.
Bonnie Leask is a proud auntie, is kinda classy and kinda rez. Bonnie is a member of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation.
Sean Willy
President & Chief Executive Officer, Des Nedhe Group
After a 20-year career in the resource industry with an extensive history in executive leadership, community development, corporate responsibility and human resources, Sean Willy was appointed President & Chief Executive Officer of Des Nedhe Group in August 2017.
With roots in the Denesuline and Metis communities, Sean brings an understanding of the expectations and needs of Indigenous people. Growing up in a mining household, he experienced life in communities across the Canadian Shield – from the Northwest Territories to Nunavut to Alberta to Saskatchewan.
In his career Sean has developed and implemented, some of the most progressive and innovative Indigenous Inclusion and value added CSR strategies for resource players such as Rio Tinto and Cameco Corporation. He has always strived to ensure Indigenous peoples are seen as a full partner in long-term relationships. This led to Sean building partnerships in Australia, the United States, and throughout Canada.
Sean is currently a member of the Canadian government’s Indigenous Innovation Housing Committee. He has served as past chair of the Mining Association of Canada’s Indigenous Affairs committee, past co-chair of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, now devotes much of his current spare time working with global Indigenous communities on economic development strategies.
Sean has two children and lives with his wife Melissa in Saskatoon.
Karen Restoule
Founder, BOLD Realities and Director, Canadian Club Toronto
Karen serves as an Associate Chair at Tribunals Ontario, responsible for the Ontario Parole Board, where she has been driving key organizational transformations while leading a team of adjudicators deciding on matters of public safety. Previously, she was the Director of the Justice Sector at the Chiefs of Ontario, where she worked with Indigenous political leadership to build consensus and develop strategies to advance policy solutions to justice issues. She started her career in the criminal justice system.
Karen is co-founder of BOLD Realities, a non-profit organization that strives to build stronger relationships between industry and Indigenous communities by convening discussions and develop tools to help build understanding. In 2018, they partnered with Canadian Roots Exchange and TakingITGlobal to launch www.whose.land, a web-based mobile app designed to equip users with information on Indigenous territories.
A graduate of the University of Toronto and of the University of Ottawa’s French Common Law Program, Karen was inducted into the Faculty of Law’s Honour Society in 2014 for using her legal education as a foundation for making a significant contribution to society. In 2018, she was named Public Policy Forum’s 2018 Prime Ministers of Canada Fellow, and later was the recipient of CivicAction’s 2018 Emerging Leader Award. Karen serves on boards with the Banff Forum, Canadian Club of Toronto, Journalists for Human Rights, sits as part of the advisory board for Connected North, founded and delivered by Cisco Canada and TakingITGlobal.
Outside of professional commitments, Karen can be found floating up the river on a pontoon boat with family and friends at home in Dokis First Nation.
