Desiree Maurice is planning several renewable energy projects across the Lac La Ronge Indian Band in Saskachewan. She's one of 18 participants in the 2024 Catalyst program to help First Nations, Inuit and Métis start up clean energy projects.
Leaders gathered in Quebec City in September as part of a program to support First Nations, Inuit and Métis participation in clean energy projects. Participants say it’s a way to change things and ensure energy sovereignty in communities across Canada.Desiree Maurice is planning several renewable energy projects across the Lac La Ronge Indian Band in Saskatchewan.
"I've always been really into the clean energy industry and I never really understood how I could get involved.… It honestly changed my whole life and career." Maurice hopes to make getting in and out of remote communities easier with the introduction of charging stations and electric vehicles. "Energy sovereignty, food sovereignty, living off the land and being self-sufficient is, from my view, really embedded in their culture."Tara Dantouze, from Manitoulin Island, Ont., says the Catalyst program has been "eye opening," especially as someone who never imagined getting into a career in the renewable energy sector.
Tara Dantouze, who lives in Timiskaming First Nation says spearheading new Indigenous-led energy projects requires addressing the stigma surrounding certain energy projects. Serena Mendizabal, from Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, says many Indigenous communities felt like their voices have not been valued in the development phase.
"We can't drink , we can't really eat from it, we can't swim in it, honestly going canoeing I have to plug my nose sometimes because it can be so toxic," said Mendizabal.
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