Name: Researching Wise Practices for Wildfire Management with Remote First Nations
Start: 2026-05-13T13:00:00-0600
End: 2026-05-13T13:30:00-0600

2026 CRHNet Symposium

Researching Wise Practices for Wildfire Management with Remote First Nations

Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:00pm - 1:30pm MDT

PIC 232

This presentation will explore a research project titled "Learning from Indigenous Perspectives for Wildland Fire Management from Treaty 5 and 9 Remote First Nations"— a collaboration between Keewaytinook Okimakanak Tribal Council (KOTC), Lakehead University, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, aimed at understanding how to better support the values, needs, and resilience of remote First Nations community members in relation to wildfire management and evacuations.

Our goal is to present stories and lived experiences that members of KOTC member communities shared with us. Participants in the research discussed motivations for engagement in wildfire management activities; aspects of evacuations that caused stress; barriers and gaps that hindered participation in wildland firefighting and mitigation activities, and that undermined effective evacuations; and pathways to success, where activities overcame challenges and benefitted both individuals and the wider community. Through these stories, we can better understand the impacts of wildfire-related emergencies and gain insight into the preparedness that affects response and recovery, the hopes of community members, and the building of community-led resilience. The CRHNet Symposium theme "Living the Lessons: From Impact to Insight", aligns with the community-led objectives that shaped this research – to learn from the lived experiences of those who have been on the frontlines of Indigenous wildfire management and those who have lived through wildfire-related evacuations, and to find ways to integrate the lessons we learn into wiser practices and decision-making processes. We will discuss seven wise practices for wildfire management with remote First Nations that emerged from this research. For policymakers and practitioners, this presentation will offer considerations for and insights into how to translate lessons from the past into actions for building stronger, more resilient communities in the future.

Speakers

Ana T. Gonzalez

Community Engagement Research Analyst, Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research (CNFER)

Ana Gonzalez is a Community Engagement Research Analyst at the Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. With a Master of Environmental Studies degree from Lakehead University and a background in social work and social science research... Read More →

Lance Robinson

Research Scientist, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

Lance W. Robinson is a research scientist in the Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. He has more than two decades of experience working on participatory and community-based approaches in natural resource management, both in the... Read More →

Wednesday May 13, 2026 1:00pm - 1:30pm MDT
PIC 232 NAIT Productivity and Innovation Centre

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2026 CRHNet Symposium

Ana T. Gonzalez

Lance Robinson

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2026 CRHNet Symposium

Ana T. Gonzalez

Lance Robinson

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