Community of Interest Panel

Theresa Baikie has been implementing the Impact and Benefit Agreement between the Nunatsiavut Government and Vale since March 31, 2003. In her position, she is responsible for ensuring all aspects of the Impact and Benefit Agreement are being implemented and respected.  These include education, training, hiring, workplace conditions, and environment, to name a few. Theresa started out as the Impact and Benefit Agreement Training and Employment Coordinator for the Labrador Inuit Association in March of 2003.  She then applied for the IBA Coordinator position when it became vacant in 2005 and has filled that role since.

She was born and raised in Labrador and has lived primarily in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Nain.  Theresa loves fishing, berry picking, cooking, and crafts when she is not at work.  She raised 3 children, mostly as a single mom and has had a variety of jobs, such as hotel manager, employment counsellor, program office, and small business owner.

Devin Naveau is an elected councillor of Mattagami First Nation. Devin started his leadership journey in April 2019 and now holds a portfolio on community infrastructure, finance, and sustainability. Devin is also the Chief Financial officer of Mattagami Aki, an economic development corporation owned and operated on behalf of Mattagami First Nation. Devin is passionate about community development and economic empowerment and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role. He is dedicated to advocating for his community’s needs and driving sustainable growth for generational economic prosperity.

Lisa McLaughlin joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in 1999. She has held a variety of positions ranging from stewardship assistant to chief conservation officer. Currently, Lisa is the vice-president of conservation policy & planning for NCC. She is responsible for ensuring that NCC’s land, acquisition and management activities are guided by strategic priorities informed by the best-available information. She is the lead liaison with many of NCC’s national and international partners, including government and not-for-profit organizations. 

A biologist (BSc) and rural planner (MSc) by training, Lisa has more than 20 years’ experience in the management of conservation lands and the governance of private land conservation organizations. She has been a board member of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, vice-chair of the Canadian Land Trust Alliance, is currently a steering committee member of the International Land Conservation Network, a member of the Privately Protected Areas working group of the World Commission on Protected Areas, and serves as board chair of the Canadian Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In her free time, Lisa and her family enjoy cycling, hiking, canoeing, gardening and generally spending as much time as possible outside. 

Dan Benoit is an Aboriginal person, a Red River Métis and a member of the Métis Nation. He has spent all his life living near his ancestor’s River Lot in St. Norbert Parish or at the family farm near Seven Sisters Falls in Manitoba.

Dan has in-excess of 10 years post-secondary education and has various degrees and diplomas in Natural Resources Management and Ecology from University College of the North, University of Ottawa, and the University of Manitoba.

He has worked for both industry and all three levels of government in the natural resources and environment field. Dan is intimately knowledgeable in many other facets of Métis cultural heritage and traditional knowledge relating to water and land issues.

Jocelyn Fraser is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia’s Liu Institute for Global Affairs where her research focus is on social risk and social responsibility in the global mining sector. Jocelyn’s current research projects are in Mongolia, Peru, and Ethiopia and focus on ways for mining companies and communities to collaborate to address issues of mutual interest, such as those embodied in the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Before completing a PhD in mining in 2017, Jocelyn worked extensively as a consultant in the resource sector. She had responsibility for engagement and community relations during the development of three mining projects in Canada and has more than 15 years of experience in Canada and abroad working to enhance community engagement and create shared value.

Jocelyn holds a PhD in mining from the University of British Columbia, a Master of Arts from Simon Fraser University, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta. In addition, she studied abroad at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and at Harvard University.

For over 30 years, Dennis Howlett has worked for a number of ecumenical social justice coalitions including the Ecumenical Coalition for Economic Justice, Ten Days for Global Justice and KAIROS where he led successful campaigns for cancellation of Third World debt, fair trade certification of coffee and other products, and ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. He recently retired from his position as the Executive Director of Canadians for Tax Fairness where he led campaigns for government action to stop the very wealthy and corporations from using tax havens to evade and avoid paying taxes and to make the tax system fairer.

Prior to assuming this position in 2011, he was the National Coordinator of Make Poverty History Canada. While there he provided leadership on successful campaigns for a Better Aid Bill, a Maternal and Child Health Initiative at the Muskoka G8 Summit and poverty reduction plans at the provincial and federal levels. Dennis is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a Master of Education and Bachelor of Arts.

Sujane Kandasamy is an incoming Assistant Professor in the Dept of Medicine (Global Health Program) at McMaster University and the Co-founder/Director of Learning & Development at The Starfish Environmental Society of Canada. She is also the Co-Lead of PEACH Health Ontario, a collective working to improve climate action in the Ontario health system. Sujane is an intersectional environmentalist and research methodologist who is passionate about improving Indigenous health, newcomer health, science communication, building collaborative community-academic partnerships, and advancing mixed-methods research methodologies.

The Starfish Canada, a pan-Canada charity celebrates and amplifies environmental stories from across the country. Through her work with The Starfish, Sujane has been working with various school boards, community partners, corporate partners, and local collectives to strengthen environmental conversations and solutions-based thinking/problem solving. She is especially passionate about working with youth to develop dialogue around how environmental issues intersect with the many other components of our society–health, economics, politics, culture, and peace.

Emma is Head of Sustainability at Appian Capital Advisory’s Base Metals Group, overseeing all aspects of ESG initiatives.  Reporting to the head of Base Metals, she manages sustainability efforts, permitting, government and community relations, as well as Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) aspects for the Base Metals Team.

With over 15 years of experience in sustainability and social performance in the mining industry, Emma brings extensive operational expertise in navigating ESG challenges.  She brings extensive experience in community development planning, ESG risk assessment, and the implementation of sustainability strategies across all phases of the mining life cycle and has demonstrated a history of driving sustainable practices and fostering positive relationships with Indigenous Nations, communities, industry/stakeholders, and government bodies.

Emma studied political science at the University of Western Ontario, and has an Executive MBA from McGill University and HEC Montreal.

Richard Paquin has over 40 years of mining experience in uranium and nickel mines. He is now retired, he was Unifor’s Mines, Metals and Minerals director and the Canadian Coordinator for the mining sector on IndustriALL (Global Union). Richard represented over 10,000 Unifor members in the sector and was involved in numerous federal and provincial governmental committees, advisory and Parliamentary committees. He has extensive knowledge of Ontario mining regulations and Health and Safety committees.

Richard has been involved in the last few years in promoting and providing input on the inclusion of women in the mining industry. He was a sitting member, representing labour, on MIHR (federal) and MLRC (Ontario) and assisted with Unifor’s Mines, Metals and Mineral Industry Council and numerous regional councils.

Richard was born in Quebec and raised in the Sudbury Area. He became involved with the mining industry in 1980 when he started working in Elliot Lake, in the boom years, as an apprentice in the Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanical field. Over the past four decades, Richard has developed extensive experience in Canada’s mining sector and has been involved in many aspects of the industry including mechanical leader, Health and Safety Committee Member, Health and Safety Committee Co-Chair, Union Steward, Chief Steward, Unit Chair and Union President.

David Walkem served as Chief of the Cooks Ferry Indian Band for 28 years. Since October 2018 he now serves as Councilor. The Cook’s Ferry Band is one of 15 Bands in the Nlaka’pamux Nation (formerly known as the Interior Salish Thompson Indians in BC).

In 2013 David, as the lead negotiator, successfully completed negotiations for eight bands in obtaining an Economic and Community Development Agreement with the Province of BC to share mineral tax revenues on a major existing mine, and negotiated a Participation Agreement with the mine to provide economic and community benefits for all bands. David now Chairs the Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly, a federal not for profit corporation that is responsible for implementing the agreements and providing direction to the Nlaka’pamux Legacy Trust (2013) established to manage the funds from these agreements.

David is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a Master of Business Administration (1984) and the University of BC with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry (1980). In 2001 he was the recipient of the ‘Forester of the Year’ award from the Association of BC Professional Foresters, and in 2007 he received an award from the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards Foundation for his achievements in the Environment and Forestry. David also volunteered for 17 years on the Board of Directors of the Native Education Centre in Vancouver, much of which he served as President.