Get early access to the registration table and settle in to Sudbury with a casual evening surrounded by the region's wildlife and natural history exhibits.

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Begin the week together with a welcoming ceremony led by drumming, knowledge keepers and local leadership.

Join master canoe builder Chuck Commanda to craft your own mini birch bark canoe. Learn about traditional canoe materials and building techniques while listening to teachings and stories from the Birch Bark Canoe Man himself!

Whether you’re brand new to FSC or deeply familiar with the system, join us for an exploration of how the recognition and upholding of Indigenous Rights is reshaping what responsible forest management means today — and help us imagine how it should evolve for the future.
Together, we’ll reflect, discuss, and co-create ideas that can guide the next chapter of forest stewardship.

Take a moment to refresh, enjoy a provided snack and beverage, and explore the event space.

Kathy is a storyteller and her knowledge is informed by her relationship to the Land. Creation was always here before humans, according to my Anishinaabe Creation story. Growing up close to the land, I received many teachings from the land about our relationship to Creation. In this talk, Kathy will share some of her experiences and knowledge about our relationship to the Tree Beings – Mitikinaabe and how we transform our thinking into being good relatives to those in Creation that support LIFE.

Pull up a chair and share a meal with your colleagues, friends, and peers.

This panel explores the legal and operational pathways Nations are using to assert inherent jurisdiction over lands and resources, moving past provincial consultation frameworks. Leaders and experts will share successful management models and strategies for translating rights into on-the-ground authority.

Talk to us about:
- Conservation to support reconciliation and land back
- Conservation planning & mapping
- Ecological connectivity

Hosted by Wahkohtowin, the first installment in a technical series created for Lands and Resource department managers, and those preparing for the upcoming round of Forest Management Plans. (Northern Ontario specific).

Take a moment to refresh, enjoy a provided snack and beverage, and explore the event space.

This Guardian Exchange is a dedicated space for Indigenous Guardians to come together to share how moose are observed, monitored, and cared for through lived experience and cultural practice. Across two connected sessions, Guardians will explore how watching the moose is both a way of building knowledge and a responsibility carried over time.
Guardians who are actively involved in monitoring and land-based initiatives will share what they are doing on the land, what they watch for, and how decisions are made in practice. The exchange is intended as an open and respectful space for dialogue, where Guardians can listen, ask questions, reflect, and learn from one another’s experiences.
The exchange centers relationship, trust, and cultural protocols. It recognizes that not all knowledge is meant to be recorded or shared beyond this space, and that caring for moose also means caring for the knowledge itself—how it is held, guided, and protected.

This panel showcases how Nations are leveraging Traditional Knowledge and geospatial technology to develop holistic conservation plans that define the future of their territories. Experts will share case studies on establishing conservation corridors, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs).

Talk to us about:
- Indigenous-led climate-smart forestry in forest management
- Barriers and enablers for forest-based climate finance for First Nations
- Capacities needed for Indigenous entities to access and manage funds

Reflections on learnings of the day and preparations for tomorrow.

Take a moment to refresh, enjoy a provided snack and beverage, and explore the event space.

Break bread and forge new conversations with your peers and colleagues at this catered meal.

To honour our relationship with our Grandmother, the moon. All women, two-spirit and their guests are invited. Space in the tipi is limited, please sign-up for a preferred time slot at the registration desk

A hands on learning opportunity about Flint Knapping with Traditional Knowledge Keeper: Shawn Corbiere/Nadjiwan

Shawn was born out of his creativity and Indigenous heritage. A community member of the M’Chigeeng First Nation, Shawn brings Indigenous ancient ingenuity to life.

Flint Knapping is the shaping of flint, chert, or other conchoidal fracturing stone through the process of lithic reduction, or to produce stone tools such as arrow heads, drills, end scrapers and trade items.

Shawn will demonstrate the ancient art form with traditional tools and techniques.

Join Dean and Lorraine as they formally open the day's proceedings, offering wisdom and guidance to help delegates collectively focus their thoughts and set productive intentions for the sessions ahead.

Join master canoe builder Chuck Commanda to craft your own mini birch bark canoe. Learn about traditional canoe materials and building techniques while listening to teachings and stories from the Birch Bark Canoe Man himself!

This Guardian Exchange is a dedicated space for Indigenous Guardians to come together to share how moose are observed, monitored, and cared for through lived experience and cultural practice. Across two connected sessions, Guardians will explore how watching the moose is both a way of building knowledge and a responsibility carried over time.
Guardians who are actively involved in monitoring and land-based initiatives will share what they are doing on the land, what they watch for, and how decisions are made in practice. The exchange is intended as an open and respectful space for dialogue, where Guardians can listen, ask questions, reflect, and learn from one another’s experiences. The exchange centers relationship, trust, and cultural protocols. It recognizes that not all knowledge is meant to be recorded or shared beyond this space, and that caring for moose also means caring for the knowledge itself—how it is held, guided, and protected.

This dynamic session begins with brief presentations from Nations showcasing successful land and resource projects, focusing on implementation challenges and solutions achieved on the ground. The floor will then open for an extended peer-to-peer discussion, inviting all attendees to share stories and lessons learned from their own community's initiatives and triumphs.

Take a moment to refresh, enjoy a provided snack and beverage, and explore the event space.

Talk to us about:
- Wetlands
- Mapping and monitoring
- Collaborating with Land Guardian programs

This panel explores how Nations are re-establishing control over their traditional food systems, ensuring security and health through localized harvesting, hunting, storing, and growing initiatives. Discussions will highlight the essential link between land jurisdiction, ecological restoration, and the preservation of cultural knowledge necessary for true food sovereignty.

Hosted by Ontario Nature and FSC Canada. The second installment in a technical series designed for Lands and Resource staff and other professionals who are preparing to participate in the next round of 10-year Forest Management Plans. (Northern Ontario specific).

Pull up a chair and share a meal with your colleagues, friends, and peers.

Tap into your creativity for this workshop led by the SKHC team. Take some time to connect with your imagination and with those around you while listening to teachings that celebrate the connection between land and artistic expression.

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This scheduled block is designed to facilitate peer-to-peer relationship building among all participants. Attendees are strongly encouraged to engage with our exhibitor booths, with an opportunity to participate in Booth Bingo for a chance to win prizes.

Talk to us about:
- Indigenous protected and conserved areas (IPCAs) and jurisdiction
- Indigenous Economies & Blended Conservation Financing
- Snake Dance: Planting seeds for a land visioning circle in your community

Talk to us about:
- Forest Biomass and Economic Opportunities
- Forest Management Planning

Take a moment to refresh, enjoy a provided snack and beverage, and explore the event space.

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Reflections on learnings of the day and preparations for tomorrow.

Take a moment to refresh, enjoy a provided snack and beverage, and explore the event space.

Break bread and forge new conversations with your peers and colleagues at this catered meal.

The film features scientist Jane Goodall speaking on various reasons to maintain hope in a positive future, including environmental recovery in the Sudbury area, the reintroduction of the American bison to regions where it had long been virtually extinct, and the political and social engagement of youth.

Join Lorraine and Dean as they formally open the day's proceedings, offering wisdom and guidance to help delegates collectively focus their thoughts and set productive intentions for the sessions ahead.

This panel examines strategies for restoring fire as an essential ecological process, shifting management practices toward integrated risk management. Discussions will highlight how traditional fire stewardship, including controlled burns and restoration post fire, is crucial for mitigating extreme wildfire risk and promoting long-term forest health.

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Hosted by MNR, the final installment in a technical series designed for Lands and Resource staff and other professionals who are preparing to participate in the next round of 10-year Forest Management Plans. (Northern Ontario specific).

Take a moment to refresh, enjoy a provided snack and beverage, and explore the event space.

Talk to us about:
- Policy options for advancing forest conservation priorities
- Conducting mining risk assessments
- Ecological corridors as a conservation planning tool

Join Missanabie Cree Elder Isabell Souliere to learn how to process Tamarack and make your own tea while learning about this traditional medicine.

This panel delves into innovative economic frameworks where conservation and ecological stewardship are the primary marketable assets, moving beyond reliance on resource extraction. Discussions will highlight Indigenous-led participation in carbon and ecosystem service markets, demonstrating how protecting territories generates measurable financial and climate value.

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The RAD Network and the UINR Etuaptmumk (Two Eyed Seeing) Co-Learning Hub, together with Elders and Knowledge Keepers, welcome you to an interactive Basket Session and a return to the centre. We will continue to listen to what is being called forward in your greater land visions/responsibilities as we navigate our current realities and needs. We will be gathered around the spirit and stories of our ceremonial ash basket that carries earth-visions from coast to coast to coast as we continue her everlasting snake dance through Turtle Island. – Basket Session

brings together Indigenous leaders, practitioners, and partners to explore how Indigenous food systems are foundational to community wellbeing, economic resilience, and future generations of leadership. This teaching lodge will highlight Indigenous-led approaches to food sovereignty, land stewardship, and career pathways rooted in culture, relationships, and place. Through shared stories and dialogue, participants will examine how Indigenous food work creates meaningful livelihoods, strengthens communities, and challenges colonial systems that have historically excluded Indigenous Peoples from land-based economies. Hosted by the National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture and Food in partnership with CareersNOW!, this session invites learners to rethink “careers” through an Indigenous lens—one grounded in responsibility, reciprocity, and long-term community prosperity.

This timely panel addresses the immense pressures and opportunities presented by the global demand for critical minerals, focusing on how Nations are leveraging their territorial rights to ensure self-determined development. Discussions will center on negotiating equitable benefits, mitigating environmental impacts, and the application of FPIC within the rapidly expanding mining sector.

Take a moment to refresh, enjoy a provided snack and beverage, and explore the event space.

Concluding our week in a good way, the Closing Ceremony will feature drumming and final remarks , offering a vital opportunity for collective reflection on the commitments and relationships forged at the Symposium.

Take a moment to refresh, enjoy a provided snack and beverage, and explore the event space.

Attendees are invited to join us for an upscale traditional dinner catered by Hiawatha, honoring our collective work for the land. We encourage everyone to dress their best (traditional jewelry and regalia welcomed) for this evening of reflection and celebration. Entertainment will include the premiere of Wahkohtowin’s 10-year anniversary video , a symposium wide gift exchange, professional photo set up and live music.

Participants are invited to join an exclusive tour of Dynamic Earth, providing an insightful look into Northern Ontario's geological history and the mining sector (underground portion optional). Convenient shuttle service to and from the site will be available.