Media

PRESS COVERAGE

MEDIA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Inaugural meeting of communities, Indigenous leaders and government from all over James Bay and Hudson Bay to form the Hudson Bay Consortium; Montreal, February 27 – March 1

MONTREAL – Following a long history of efforts by communities and Indigenous organizations, the first ever Hudson Bay Summit will take place in Montreal from Feb 27-March 1st. The Summit will bring together representatives from every coastal James Bay and Hudson Bay community to formally launch the Hudson Bay Consortium—an Indigenous-driven framework for sharing knowledge, coordinating on research and monitoring, and more generally working together for the greater good of environmental stewardship across the greater Hudson Bay ecosystem.

The Hudson Bay Summit will focus on a variety of cross-cutting themes and priorities relevant to Indigenous communities, with a focus on Indigenous-first approaches related to environmental stewardship, sustainable development, and community well-being. This includes protected areas and coastal restoration, community-driven research and monitoring, communications, Indigenous knowledge, education, and working together across the complex jurisdictional landscape of the region.

The Summit will explore the above themes with a holistic approach that considers the interconnected nature of ecosystem and community health, food security, cultural identity and lifestyle.

Distinguished guests to the Summit include: the Honourable Charlie Watt; President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Natan Obed; Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief, Jonathan Solomon; Nunavut Member of Parliament, Hunter Tootoo and Assistant Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Oceans Canada Philippe Morel. These speeches can be recorded.

The three-day Summit will include:

Welcome addresses by distinguished guests and formal launch of the Hudson Bay Consortium at 9am on Feb 27th
A Press Scrum will follow from 10:30 am–11:00 pm on Feb 27th ( Level 4, in the Ballroom)
Keynote presentations
Sessions to plan the next steps for the Hudson Bay Consortium
Workshops to build Indigenous-led environmental stewardship including –
- Indigenous Community-Driven Climate Change Monitoring
- Creating a Network of Marine Protected Areas
- Coastal Restoration
- Education, Elders and Youth
A special discussion on the concept of Indigenous Protected Areas as advocated for in Mary Simon’s report, A New Shared Arctic Leadership Model.

Contact information:
Dr. Joel Heath
Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Arctic Eider Society
1-438-239-9223 x1

Notes:

Hudson Bay Summit welcome and launch

Feb. 27, 2018, 9 am
Centre Sheraton Hotel, 4th floor ballroom (1201 Boul. Rene Levesque W., Montreal)
Press scrum to follow 10:30-11:00 am in the Ballroom foyer.

For further information about the Hudson Bay Summit and Consortium, including the agenda and registered participants, see:
a. www.hudsonbaysummit.com
b. hudsonbayconsortium.com
To view the Vision Statement and Guiding Principles created to form the Hudson Bay Consortium visit: hudsonbayconsortium.com/vision/
Hudson Bay Quick Facts:
a. Despite its historical significance, Hudson Bay remains one of the least studied and most underfunded regions of Canada, and still lacks a integrated management structure
b. Hudson Bay is Canada’s largest watershed, draining over 40% of Canada and part of the U.S..
c. Hudson Bay represents the most complex region of jurisdictional overlap in the Arctic, shared by multiple provincial/territorial regions (Nunavut, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec), with overlapping land claim agreements (Nunavut Marine Region, Nunavik Marine Region, Eeyou Marine Region) and disparate Federal jurisdictions (e.g. Central Arctic and Quebec regions). This and the extensive geography have been significant challenges for collaboration and coordinated stewardship.