Indigenizing Health Symposium 2025: Being Safe With Our Culture Again

The WIIH & Ontario NEIHR Indigenizing Health Symposium 2025: Being Safe With Our Culture Again, aims to share knowledges, and foster dialogue and collaboration about Indigenous health and cultural safety. This year’s symposium will be the third Ontario Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR) and Ontario Indigenous Mentorship Network (IMN) land-based gathering. The gathering brings together a diverse group of keynote speakers who will deliver presentations and facilitate workshops in the teaching lodge at Hart House Farm. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in ceremony, and other cultural activities throughout the two-day event. Indigenous scholars, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and graduate students will share their insights regarding the importance of policy grounded in Indigenous Knowledges, and the processes of increasing accessibility of policy work to Indigenous community. The event is open to academics, health professionals, students, and community members.

The ON NEIHR Symposium Gathering occurs annually and in partnership with the Waakebiness Institute for Indigenous Health (WIIH) at the University of Toronto and the Indigenous Mentorship Network (IMN) Ontario. The symposium has been attracting audiences from across Turtle Island and the world since its debut in 2011.

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Wayne Clark, Inuglak Clark ᐅᐊᐃᓐ ᐃᓄᒡᓚᒃ ᑲᓛᒃ, originally from Churchill, Manitoba, is a registered Inuk under the Nunavut Agreement and a member of the Voisey family, with connections to Tikiraqjuaq ᑎᑭᕋᕐᔪᐊᖅ and Kangiqsualujjuaq ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᔾᔪᐊᖅ. He serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and is the Director of the Wâpanachakos Indigenous Health Program within the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Clark’s research focuses on trends in Inuit health service utilization and Indigenous medical education. His lectures explore topics such as Indigenous experiences in healthcare, Indian Hospitals, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, and intergenerational trauma. He is also a principal investigator for the Accelerating Clinical Trials Consortium, which works to expand Canada’s clinical trials network, prioritizing Indigenous mental health and healing systems.

Previously, Dr. Clark was the Director of Indigenous Health Services at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority from 2013 to 2020. Dr. Clark is the co-chair of the Indigenous Health Committee for the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. He is a board member of the Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health, the International Union for Circumpolar Health, and a member of the International Arctic Science Committee’s Standing Committee on Indigenous Involvement. He lives and works on Treaty No. 6 Territory in Edmonton, Alberta.

Dr. Janet Smylie, is a family physician and public health researcher. A Métis woman, Dr. Smylie, acknowledges her family, teachers, and lodge. She currently works as a research scientist in Indigenous health at St. Michael's hospital, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute where she directs the Well Living House Applied Research Centre (www.welllivinghouse.com ) and holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Advancing Generative Health Services for Indigenous Populations. Her primary academic appointments are as a Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She maintains a part-time clinical practice with Inner City Health Associates at the Auduzhe Mino Nesewinong clinic. Dr. Smylie has practiced and taught family medicine across diverse Indigenous communities both urban and rural. She is a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, with Métis roots in the prairies. Her applied research program is focused on actively addressing Indigenous health inequities by enhancing Indigenous led, high quality health information systems; disrupting anti-Indigenous racism in health services; and promoting Indigenous community health and wellbeing solutions. Dr. Smylie currently leads multiple research projects in partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities/organizations. She has participated on multiple expert advisories. She was honoured with a National Aboriginal Achievement (Indspire) Award in Health in 2012 and is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada. She is also an international member of the National Academic of Medicine.

Dr. Paul Whitinui (he/him), is an Indigenous Māori scholar from the Confederation of Tribes in the Far North of Aotearoa New Zealand (Ngā Puhi, Te Aupōuri, and Ngāti Kurī) on his father’s side, and Irish, French, English, and Welsh on his mother’s side, and is currently the Special Advisor to the Vice President Indigenous and a Professor in the School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education at the University of Victoria, BC, Canada. As an interdisciplinary Māori and Indigenous scholar his work is informed by Kaupapa Māori and Indigenous theory which draws on the lived and emancipatory experiences of iwi Māori, and other colonized Indigenous Peoples, to critically interrogate the dominant colonial state interests in areas pertaining to sport, health, physical activity, education/schooling, and wellbeing. More recently, Dr Whitinui’s research focuses on the development of Indigenous impact assessment tools to improve and strengthen the provision of Indigenous cultural safety training programs in post-secondary settings, and to continue supporting the development of culturally safe and inclusive practices.

Elder Françoise Paulette, Denesuline, a Denesuline and member of the Smith’s Landing Treaty 8 First Nation François Paulette survived the residential school system before going on to become the youngest Chief in the NWT Indian Brotherhood in 1971. In 1972, along with sixteen other chiefs from the Mackenzie Valley, he challenged the Crown to recognize treaty rights and aboriginal title to over 450, 000 square miles of land in the historic Paulette case. He remains a passionate and outspoken advocate of treaty and Indigenous rights in all matters affecting his people and is recognized in the courts as an expert witness on historic treaties.

As Chief Negotiator for the Smith’s Landing First Nation, François worked diligently to conclude a Treaty Land Entitlement Agreement, which has proven to be of critical importance in protecting the Slave River from hydro-electric development.

François takes pride in maintaining his Dene language and the traditional knowledge that derives from his close relationship with the land. He was one of the founding members of the Dene Cultural Institute and continues to serve as an interpreter of traditional knowledge and a facilitator of cross-cultural understanding. As a collaborator on a number of Canadian and international documentary films, he has helped to increase public understanding of the Dene way of life (Dene Ch’anie), and has participated in ecumenical forums, including the Parliament of the World’s Religions, to promote an understanding of the spiritual world of the Dene.

François remains active in efforts to protect the natural environment of Denendeh. He has contributed to numerous water conferences in the north and has been a collaborator on several documentary films focusing on the impact of the tar sands development on the environment and people of northern Canada. Over a period of nine years, he participated in annual meetings of the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) on Climate Change, in various locations around the globe and contributed to the Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Knowledge articles of the Paris Agreement. As a past member of the Assembly of First Nations Elders Council, François was instrumental in the development of traditional knowledge protocols and policy for the Canadian Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment.

François has extensive experience as a guest lecturer at institutions such as Aurora College, Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning and the Monk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the School of Public Health, University of Alberta. He is an Elder Advisor to the Institute of Circumpolar Health Research (ICHR) and to the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation.

Kimberly Fairman is the Executive Director at the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research and holds the NEIHR Grant for the Northwest Territories. She is Nunavummiut her home community is Taloyoak, Nunavut. Kimberly was trained in Nursing and obtained her Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Alberta. She worked in both the federal and territorial public service in senior roles before transitioning to Health Policy Research. She is working with researchers, Indigenous knowledge holders, clinicians and policy makers in health systems research that impacts on the northern patient experience. Playing an important role by weaving partnerships into the research fabric, engaging with communities and building northern capacity for health research. Kimberly has been showcasing the valuable contribution of northern communities, practitioners, and Indigenous knowledge holders to the modern research agenda. Kimberly is an active board member for Polar Knowledge Canada and serves as President of the Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health.

Symposium Chairs

Dr. Ethsi (Suzanne) Stewart is from the Yellowknife Dene First Nation and is Director of the Waakebiness Institute for Indigenous Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health/University of Toronto. She holds the TCP Chair in Aboriginal Health and works in Indigenous health and mental health with urban organizations.

Clayton Shirt Plains Cree/Anishinaabe is originally from Treaty 6 territory, Wolf Clan. He is a traditional knowledge practitioner of holistic health and wellness, lecturer, educator, and historian. His worldview and understanding of life is based on living his whole life immersed in learning from his traditional Indigenous teachers, elders, and family. He is currently the sitting traditional knowledge teacher/educator with WBIIH where he is able to bring his traditional perspective and vast experience in 'walking the good path' to scholars and educators. Also being able to bring wise counsel and support to indigenous students seeking higher learning. He was raised and currently lives in Toronto, with his wife and family of three children and his beautiful granddaughter.

Accomodations

There are two options for accomodations: at Hart House Farm or nearby in Caledon or Orangeville at a hotel at your own cost.

Staying overnight at Hart House Farm, the Symposium venue, is optional and free of charge; it is included with registration. Accommodations are available on site, on the land in two-person bunk houses, and in bunk beds in a communal bunkhouse room at the farmhouse. Reserve your spot by emailing ontarioneihr.dlsph@utoronto.ca. Remaining spots available will be given on a first come, first serve basis. Attendees are also welcome to bring their own tent for camping.

Please note that there are no showers available, and you will need to bring your own pillow and sleeping bag/bedding if you are spending the night. Washrooms are available. Make sure to bring appropriate footwear for the outdoors and clothing to stay warm as the bunkhouses are rustic and not heated or cooled other than by a window for fresh air.

Transportation

Round trip transportation from the University of Toronto St. George campus to Hart House Farm will be available on both days of the symposium. The shuttle bus schedule and exact location will be emailed to attendees.

Food

Food will be provided on site at the Symposium at Hart House Farm for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on both days, and is included in the registration fee. Some vegeterian options will be available, however, special diet requests cannot be accommodated. If you have a dietary restriction, please bring your own food.

Communications

On-going updates regarding the Symposium will be directly emailed to registrants once their registration is completed. For all direct inquiries for the symposium, please email Ontario NEIHR ontarioneihr.dlsph@utoronto.ca

Location

Hart House Farm is located at 15911 Creditview Road, Caledon, ON L7C-3G9. View Map. It is approximately a 1–2-hour drive from downtown Toronto, depending on rush hour traffic.

Parking

Free parking is available on site near the farm's entrance.