Project: Mobilizing Indigenous Knowledge: 2026 CRHNet Symposium
Principal Investigator: Bettina Williams
Research Team: Tiffany Leung (Investigative Solutions Network); Ernie Louttit (Investigative Solutions Network); Lilia Yumagulova (Preparing Our Home); Aaliyah Calliou (Youth Leader, Preparing Our Home); Astokomii Smith (Preparing Our Home); Sheri Lysons (Preparing Our Home); John Leonard (Preparing Our Home); Sherri Greene (Askiy Eco-Distribution Ltd.); Jeannette MacInnis (Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association); Alex Robins (Student); Alice Song (Student); Donna Ng (Student); Somashree Chattapadhya (Student); Susan Ellwood (Student).
Project Dates: May 12, 2026 – August 31, 2026.
Project Funding: $49,813
Project Summary: This SSHRC Connection Grant supported the Indigenous Knowledge Stream of the 2026 Canadian Risk and Hazards Network (CRHNet) Symposium, which was held May 12–14, 2026, at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, Alberta (Treaty Six territory). The project brought together Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) Holders, youth, Elders, Western scientists, and practitioners to strengthen disaster risk reduction (DRR) and emergency management (DEM) in Canada. Grounded in Elder Albert Marshall’s Two-Eyed Seeing Approach, the project featured an intergenerational workshop facilitated by the award-winning Preparing Our Home program, along with additional storytelling and knowledge-sharing sessions. Approximately 10 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students gained hands-on experience in community-engaged research and knowledge mobilization. Project outcomes were disseminated through the Symposium proceedings and CRHNet’s open-access publication, HazNet, reaching practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and communities across Canada.
Partners: Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA); Canadian Risk and Hazards Network (CRHNet); Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC).
Outcomes and Benefits: This project strengthened the engagement of practitioners, researchers, students, and policymakers with Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) and community-based approaches to disaster risk reduction. Participants left the 2026 CRHNet Symposium with actionable insights drawn from intergenerational storytelling, the Two-Eyed Seeing Approach, and real-world emergency management scenarios. The project supported approximately 10 students in developing skills in community-engaged research, knowledge mobilization, and culturally grounded facilitation. Broader outcomes included strengthened national networks across Indigenous communities, academia, and practice; co-created strategies for more inclusive and equitable disaster risk reduction; and wide dissemination of findings through CRHNet’s open-access publication HazNet, reaching communities, practitioners, and policymakers across Canada.
Funding and Support: This project was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) through the Connection Grants program.
Project Status: Active
Deliverables: TBA
