DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Allyship and Acknowledgments

Taking the time to develop a meaningful territorial acknowledgement conveys respect for the Peoples and lands you are on and from. Reconciliation requires actions of the heart and mind, and the first step to allyship often begins with learning about and acknowledging the Indigenous Nations who have been stewarding the land since time immemorial. In this session, we will be deepening our understanding of allyship, as well as learning how to and why territorial acknowledgements are important. We will practice steps to creating an authentic territorial acknowledgement and share resources that will help you identify Indigenous communities and nations with the goal of becoming better allies and neighbours.

Speakers

Kear Porttris, EIT

Kear is a Métis-Chinese professional who has been walking in multiple worlds since he was born. His father is Métis and his mother is a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong. He grew up in Treaty Four Territory in Regina, Saskatchewan. With a civil engineering background, holding an undergraduate degree and a masters of applied science in civil engineering, he merges education, personal, and professional experience with a solutions-based lens. Kear has extensive experience developing partnerships between industry and Indigenous Communities. He focuses on using a collaborative approach to bolster and support Indigenization across disciplines and find unique and effective solutions for his clients. He is able to combine his professional training with his unique perspectives and network to support clients. He is involved with a number of interesting and innovative projects that are pushing the limits of Indigenization in industry. Kear sits on the board of Métis Nation of Greater Victoria, helping to represent Métis People throughout lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Territories.

Natasha Parrish

Natasha is Kyaanuuslii Haida through her mother and maternal grandmothers and English through her father. She was born and raised in Teechamitsa lək̓ʷəŋən Territory in a large, loving family. She graduated from the University of Victoria with a bachelors of history, a postgraduate degree in secondary teaching, and later a master of arts in Indigenous Nationhood. Her interests lie in Indigenous education, policy development, and Indigenizing professional development for non-Indigenous people. She is interested in the intersections between our shared history, social and ethical responsibilities, and the realities of our modern world. She brings experience as an Indigenous educator working within larger institutions to her work creating safer and braver space for clients.

Case Study: Working Towards An Equitable Parental Leave Policy

This presentation explores the successes and lessons learned from the initiation of a parental leave policy for partners of Focal Engineering Inc. due to limitations with the federal Employment Insurance Policy for corporate owners. Focal Engineering designed the policy with the intent of supporting the partners and their families, reducing stress at the office when a partner is away, and providing the partner on leave with the opportunity to keep their skills fresh.

Speaker

Susan MacDougall, P.Eng.

Susan has worked in the building industry for nearly 20 years and started Focal Engineering in 2015. She is an experienced mechanical engineer, energy modeller, and project manager with a passion for sustainability, which has been her career focus. Outside of Focal, Susan regularly volunteers with organizations that focus on engineering, sustainability and inclusivity; she was as an elected Councillor with Engineers and Geoscientists BC for 4 years.