Contact us
Contact us
Author: Betty Biesenthal
photo of talking stick
TAC News

TAC – News Post 1

The Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE) represents a great opportunity for Indigenous peoples to build and enhance the technical and scientific capacity of Indigenous communities for cumulative effects assessment, monitoring and management, based on the values of First Nations, MÃĐtis and Inuit communities to better protect their community’s lands and culture.

ICCE strives to have First Nation, Inuit and MÃĐtis Directors as well as regional representation from each of the Provinces and Territories. We are currently seeking Directors from Inuit and MÃĐtis communities as well as directors from the indicated provinces below: 

  • Nunavut
  • Yukon
  • Northwest Territories
  • Saskatchewan
  • Manitoba
  • New Brunswick
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
How to Apply
  • Applications for the Board must include a CV or letter including a description of relevant experience and expertise, as well as the reasons you are interested in joining the ICCE Board of Directors.
  • If you are a youth and considering applying to the Board please indicate this in your application.
  • Please send your expression of interest as well as any questions you may have to our National Office at info@icce-caec.ca.

If you are Indigenous and are interested in the topic of cumulative effects on Indigenous communities’ lands and lives, we encourage you to get involved with ICCE. Please take the time to reflect on how you or someone else in your community can contribute to the success of ICCE. 

If you have an interest in cumulative effects, we invite you to contact us to get involved.

To learn more about ICCE, read our First Annual Report.

LEARN MORE

Read More
Betty Biesenthal March 13, 2024 0
photo of two women and a man making a talking stick
TAC News

TAC – News Post 2

The Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE) represents a great opportunity for Indigenous peoples to build and enhance the technical and scientific capacity of Indigenous communities for cumulative effects assessment, monitoring and management, based on the values of First Nations, MÃĐtis and Inuit communities to better protect their community’s lands and culture.

ICCE strives to have First Nation, Inuit and MÃĐtis Directors as well as regional representation from each of the Provinces and Territories. We are currently seeking Directors from Inuit and MÃĐtis communities as well as directors from the indicated provinces below: 

  • Nunavut
  • Yukon
  • Northwest Territories
  • Saskatchewan
  • Manitoba
  • New Brunswick
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
How to Apply
  • Applications for the Board must include a CV or letter including a description of relevant experience and expertise, as well as the reasons you are interested in joining the ICCE Board of Directors.
  • If you are a youth and considering applying to the Board please indicate this in your application.
  • Please send your expression of interest as well as any questions you may have to our National Office at info@icce-caec.ca.

If you are Indigenous and are interested in the topic of cumulative effects on Indigenous communities’ lands and lives, we encourage you to get involved with ICCE. Please take the time to reflect on how you or someone else in your community can contribute to the success of ICCE. 

If you have an interest in cumulative effects, we invite you to contact us to get involved.

To learn more about ICCE, read our First Annual Report.

LEARN MORE

Read More
Betty Biesenthal March 12, 2024 0
drum event feature image
TAC News

TAC – News Post 3

The Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE) represents a great opportunity for Indigenous peoples to build and enhance the technical and scientific capacity of Indigenous communities for cumulative effects assessment, monitoring and management, based on the values of First Nations, MÃĐtis and Inuit communities to better protect their community’s lands and culture.

ICCE strives to have First Nation, Inuit and MÃĐtis Directors as well as regional representation from each of the Provinces and Territories. We are currently seeking Directors from Inuit and MÃĐtis communities as well as directors from the indicated provinces below: 

  • Nunavut
  • Yukon
  • Northwest Territories
  • Saskatchewan
  • Manitoba
  • New Brunswick
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
How to Apply
  • Applications for the Board must include a CV or letter including a description of relevant experience and expertise, as well as the reasons you are interested in joining the ICCE Board of Directors.
  • If you are a youth and considering applying to the Board please indicate this in your application.
  • Please send your expression of interest as well as any questions you may have to our National Office at info@icce-caec.ca.

If you are Indigenous and are interested in the topic of cumulative effects on Indigenous communities’ lands and lives, we encourage you to get involved with ICCE. Please take the time to reflect on how you or someone else in your community can contribute to the success of ICCE. 

If you have an interest in cumulative effects, we invite you to contact us to get involved.

To learn more about ICCE, read our First Annual Report.

LEARN MORE

Read More
Betty Biesenthal March 12, 2024 0
Uncategorized

ICCE 2023 Conference: Sharing Knowledge to Take Action

May 29 to 31, 2023
Westin Hotel, Ottawa ON

The 2023 ICCE conference theme is Sharing Knowledge to Take Action. Our first in-person conference will be held May 29 to 31, 2023 at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa ON. 

For details please visit the official conference website. 

BROWSE WEBSITE

Read More
Betty Biesenthal February 10, 2023 0
main-08
Uncategorized

How-To Guide: Application for Developing Capacity Stream

The bodies were lying in the streets un-buried. All railroads and vessels carrying food and such things into the great city had ceased runnings and mobs of the hungry poor pillaging.

Read More
Betty Biesenthal January 31, 2023 0
photo of hands embracing a green plant sprout
News

ICCE Releases Guide to Cumulative Effects Requirements Across Canada

ICCE is pleased to announce the release of its Guide to Cumulative Effects Requirements Across Canada. The Guide, which was developed in collaboration with The Firelight Group, will help Indigenous professionals, community members and other interested parties to understand requirements respecting cumulative effects across Canada. It will be especially helpful for Indigenous communities and practitioners preparing to engage with provincial, territorial, and federal governments when development projects are envisioned or planned in their territory. 

photo of hands embracing a green plant sprout
This Guide is part of an effort by the Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects to provide technical support to Indigenous communities through relevant guidance documents.
          ~ Leona Irons, Chair, ICCE Board of Director

Available for download from the ICCE website, the Guide identifies and describes requirements about cumulative effects found in laws, regulations, policies, Treaties, and land use plans in federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous jurisdictions across Canada.

We hope that this Guide will be a useful and powerful tool to support Indigenous communities in understanding the existing cumulative effects requirements in their territories. We are confident that it will help guide their interactions with governments and project proponents, and assist in developing stronger cumulative effects management frameworks.
          ~ Leea Litzgus, ICCE Executive Director
The Guide includes contextual information, references to where requirements are found as well as how multiple requirements from various sources may work together. This information is organized by jurisdiction, so the users can easily identify what is most relevant to their specific territory or area. Practitioners can utilize as much or as little of this information as needed or can simply access the identified documents through direct links provided in the Guide.

Requirements to address cumulative effects are changing rapidly. This Guide will provide a much-needed practical tool for Indigenous communities across Canada, whether to inform their own efforts to address cumulative effects or to inform conversations with industry and Crown governments.

          ~ Alistair MacDonald, Director, Firelight Group

About the Authors

The Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE) is an independent Indigenous-led organization that supports Indigenous communities undertaking cumulative effects work. ICCE mission is to create networks, and develop and share knowledge to empower community-based approaches to culturally relevant cumulative effects assessment, monitoring and management to support Indigenous well-being and decision-making. Our primary objective is to help build and enhance the technical and scientific capacity of Indigenous communities, based on the values of First Nations, MÃĐtis and Inuit communities across Canada.  

The Firelight Group is an Indigenous-owned consulting group that works with Indigenous and local communities in Canada and beyond to provide high quality research, policy, planning, mapping, negotiation, and advisory services. Our work focuses on impact assessment, culture, health, socio-economics, ecology, and governance to support the rights and interests of Indigenous communities.

Download Guide

Read More
Betty Biesenthal July 5, 2022 0
photo montage of participants in the 2022 atlantic policy congress plus logos of host organizations
News

Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat

The Atlantic Policy Congress (APC) of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat is an advocate for speaking with one voice on behalf of First Nations communities in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the state of Maine in the United States. With the support of First Nation communities in Atlantic Canada, APC follows a relationship vision that concentrates on partnership and cooperation, government to government relationships, dialogue and education, quality of life and self-determination in First Nations Communities. APC works closely with community members and leadership to get direction by providing all information in order that communities can make informed decisions. 

In April 2021, APC was awarded funding from the Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE) through the Community Funding Program to undertake a project with the goal of building and enhancing the capacity of Atlantic First Nations communities to address cumulative effects issues. Their project will achieve this goal by:

  1. conducting a study on cumulative effects in Atlantic First Nations communities
  2. identifying tools, resources and practical solutions that can be implemented by communities to address cumulative effects issues
  3. holding a conference on cumulative effects along with relevant tools and resources
  4. developing a cumulative effects web portal

To date, APC has completed their research study, identified multiple tools, resources and practical solutions and successfully held their first Cumulative Effects Conference on June 2, 2022. The cumulative effects web portal is in the final stages of development and will be accessible to all 33 of APC’s member communities by the end of July 2022.

The 2022 Cumulative Effects Conference was an opportunity for communities to learn about the cumulative effects project at APC, as well as different tools and resources that are available to help Atlantic First Nations communities address cumulative effects issues. The conference also provided a safe space for sharing stories, knowledge, concerns and ideas related to cumulative effects and provided guests the opportunity to provide feedback on what they wanted to see come out of the project. APC invited a number of excellent speakers to showcase and discuss different tools, resources, studies and projects that can be used to inform future cumulative effects initiatives in Atlantic First Nations communities.

photo montage of participants in the 2022 atlantic policy congress

The keynote address was given by Barry J. Wilson, a cumulative effects specialist at CE Analytic Ltd., who set the tone of the conference and engaged the audience by telling stories, talking about his own cumulative effects work and emphasizing the importance of recognizing that everything is connected.

Chief Andrea Paul of Pictou Landing First Nation presented on the Pictou Landing Well-Being Baseline Study conducted by the community in 2019 in response to the pollution of Boat Harbour by a local pulp and paper mill since 1967 and its subsequent impacts on the well-being of community members.

Michelle Francis-Denny, the Director of the Atlantic Indigenous Economic Development Integrated Research Program at APC, presented about how cumulative effects are impacting economic development in communities across the Atlantic region, particularly when it comes to accessible funding and financial support. 

Barry Stevens, the President of Stevens Solutions & Design Inc. and 3D Wave Design, presented on his 3D interactive mapping tool that can be used to visualize climate change impacts in First Nation communities. Its purpose is to assist communities in observing, planning and adapting to climate change impacts, which are integral to cumulative effects issues.

Stephanie Arnold, a Climate Services Specialist at CLIMAtlantic, presented on a climate change monitoring tool used by First Nations communities in PEI. This tool is called the UPEI Climate Diary, which started out as hard copy booklets and now exists as an online database of environmental-related observations that anyone can upload to.

Ashley Childs, the Senior Director of Environment and Natural Resources at The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM), presented on her team’s cumulative effects work with communities in Nova Scotia, which was also financially supported by ICCE through their Community Funding Program.

Shelley Price, a researcher, consultant and university instructor, presented on her research of hydroelectric dams and the cumulative effects they have on marine ecosystems.

Gregory Jeddore, a Forestry Manager with the Miawpukek First Nation Government, shared a video on a spiritual canoe journey that is to take place in the Fall of 2022. From Miawpukek (Conne River, NL) all the way to Terra Nova National Park, the community will travel in handmade birch bark canoes along the rivers their ancestors used to travel.

Lastly, Julia Purcell, the Cumulative Effects Project Researcher at APC, presented on research findings from engaging and speaking with Atlantic First Nations communities about cumulative effects. These findings informed and directed the search for external tools and resources that might benefit communities the most based on their concerns.

Read More
Betty Biesenthal June 29, 2022 0
photo of research team in two motorboats
News

Eagle Lake First Nation Taking Steps to Improve Lake and Anishinaabeg Health

The Eagle Lake First Nation, located about 20 km west of Dryden, Ontario is currently conducting a community-based study to help address cumulative effects on Eagle Lake. Being advised by trusted elders, youth, and knowledge keepers, they established their own Aquatic Monitoring Program for which water sampling on the English River watershed was done with state-of-the-art assessment tools and technology. 

The Eagle Lake watershed and the fishery has been of vital importance for the Anishinaabeg at Migisi Sahgaigan for millennia. The health of the lake and the rivers is intrinsically linked to the health of the people, who signed Treaty 3 in 1873. Since then, their ecosystem has been under threat, including from significant cumulative effects on the English River system by forestry, dam operations, mining, and tourism development. So, the community has taken it upon themselves to do something about it.

The Eagle Lake program involved work done by an innovative intergenerational collaboration of elders and youth. Community events to seek input from community members were instrumental into braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science to establish a community-driven program. The community participants were grateful to be a part of the program and played an active role in the data collection.

O’Hara Adams, the coordinator of the Eagle Lake Aquatic Monitoring Program at the Lands and Resources Department for Eagle Lake First Nation pointed out that “At one of the meetings, we laid the maps out on the table, and had people label the spots on Eagle Lake that we should look into,”

Play Video about map of northern ontario highlighting the farabout peninsula

“This really set up and carried the entire program,” said Alison Fraser, Environmental Scientist and Human Health Risk Assessor, EnCompass Environmental Limited. “We heard that community members were really concerned about some of the impacts to the Eagle Lake watershed.” 

The protection of the Farabout Peninsula being key to the community, the study identified the loss of fish spawning habitat, the loss of medicinal and edible plants, the erosion of the shoreline, pollution from mercury contamination, and the changes in water level, temperature, and quality, as the main concerns of the population.

During the study, they collected fish at various locations to identify species, length and weight. All fish were released after study. The water sampling also included pollutant and sediments analysis based on the community-identified concerns.

Currently, the study coordinators are drafting the technical report that will present the data and compare it to federal and provincial guidelines to help identify any concerns. They are also in the process of mapping all of the fish habitat assessment data.

The Eagle Lake First Nation was on hand to present their work on addressing cumulative effects issues during the Indigenous Conference on Cumulative Effects held virtually on March 1, 2022.

Watch more videos from the ICCE 2022 Virtual Conference >

Read More
Betty Biesenthal June 16, 2022 0
Uncategorized

ICCE Community Funding Program

Miigwetch / Marsi / Nakurmiik / Thank You for your continued interest in the Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects Community Funding Program (CFP).

The Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE) is an independent Indigenous organization that facilitates the meaningful involvement of communities in the design, collection, monitoring and analysis of Indigenous and non-Indigenous science-based activities in the context of cumulative effects management. The main objective of ICCE’s Community Funding Program is to support community-led projects to help build and enhance the capacity of Indigenous communities for cumulative effects management, monitoring and assessment in their territories, according to a Two-Eyed Seeing approach.

Since the program began in 2020, ICCE has successfully completed three rounds of funding. We are now proud to present our new and improved Community Funding Program (CFP) for 2023-2024.

In the last months, we took the opportunity to review and update the CFP with our Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), composed of Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners of cumulative effects. Based on the feedback and the recommendations we received from communities, the Technical Advisory Committee and ICCE Board of Directors, we revised the program by creating two streams of funding for Developing Capacity and Enhancing Capacity.

  • The Developing Capacity stream supports hiring and training in-house staff to better understand cumulative effects and develop or implement a cumulative effects plan for their community.
  • The Enhancing Capacity stream supports one or more indigenous communities to enhance existing cumulative effects projects and programs.

ICCE has developed and refined the criteria to assess applications to ensure regional distribution of projects and, Indigenous group representation. We have also improved the application software so that we can respond to user issues and serve Indigenous communities better.

The deadline to submit an application is March 6, 2023  11:30 PST 

1. Join a CFP Info Session

To better prepare applicants who are interested in making a submission to the 2023 Community Funding Program, ICCE is hosting a series of CFP Info Sessions. We recommend that all applicants participate. Select the session that suits you best.

REGISTER TODAY
2. Learn More About How To Apply

The following documents provide detailed information about the ICCE Community Funding Program.

Call for Proposals
ICCE CFP Guidelines
Frequently Asked Questions
How-To-Guide: Developing Capacity
How-To-Guide: Enhancing Capacity
February 1, 2023 Info Session Recording
3. Submit Your Application Online

Once you are ready to start your application, login to submit your CFP application.

LOGIN

Should you require additional information, please contact us at by email. 

Read More
Betty Biesenthal June 14, 2022 0
infographic featuring 5 lessons from saami peoples of finland
News

Top Five Lessons from the Saami Peoples of Finland

The participants at the 2022 Indigenous Conference on Cumulative Effects held in March were treated to an eye-opening keynote addresse that featured the rich, lived experience of the Saami people of Finland. The presentation offered by Dr. Klemetti NÃĪkkÃĪlÃĪjÃĪrvi spoke to the wide-ranging impacts of cumulative effects on the Indigenous peoples of Finland and it’s impacts to their traditional practice of reindeer herding. 

Dr. NÃĪkkÃĪlÃĪjÃĪrv, from EnontekiÃķ, North Finland tied his presentation to the conference theme of Cumulative Effects: A Health and Well-Being Perspective. His presentation discussed the importance of Saami culture and ways of life, and how they have been impacted by climate change.

“Climate change equals cultural change for the Sammi. Adaptation measures influence the reindeer work model,” said the Postdoctoral Researcher in cultural anthropology at the University of Oulu.”

“Every Saami can choose their own path and way of life. But they must have the possibility to be a Saami and live their traditional Saami way of life,” said Dr. NÃĪkkÃĪlÃĪjÃĪrv. It is increasingly difficult to be a Saami. We are a small people on the global scale, but an important part of the world’s cultural heritage.”

infographic featuring 5 lessons from saami peoples of finland
Here are five key takeaways from Dr. NÃĪkkÃĪlÃĪjÃĪrv’s keynote address to the Indigenous Conference on Cumulative Effects.
  1. The Saami people are the only Indigenous people within the European Union. There are nine difference Saami languages across their territory which is called SÃĄpmi, or “land of the Saami”. Dr. NÃĪkkÃĪlÃĪjÃĪrv described that “all of these languages are alive, but endangered.”
  2. Saami refer to their relationship with the land and the environment as Siiddastallame or “in the nature”. They don’t rely on maps and technology to navigate and travel throughout their territory. They rely on their skills and traditional knowledge accumulated from their elders and years of experience.
  3. Environmental relationships are formed through their activities with the land. They have a close connection to the land and lived sustainably through reindeer herding, fishing, hunting, gathering as practicing Duodji, or traditional SÃĄmi handicrafts. This way of life has protected them from contemporary, lifestyle diseases.
  4. Indigenous peoples are subject to primary, secondary and tertiary impacts of environmental effects. For example: primary impacts (changes to ecology) may including the thawing of permafrost; secondary impacts (ecosystem-wide changes) include the changes to reindeer geography and mortality; and the tertiary impacts (cultural-wide changes) include the impacts to Saami livelihood respecting their reindeer work.
  5. Reindeer work is greatly impacted by the environment and cumulative effects. Much of this work has to be done on packed snow and on the tundra. Herding routes can vary as much as 50 to 200 kilometres in a single day. As a result, Indigenous knowledge and continuous monitoring of the environment is essential to their livelihood. “This knowledge is vital when understanding the effects of climate change,” said Dr. NÃĪkkÃĪlÃĪjÃĪrv.
Play Video about screen capture of virtual presentation by Dr Klemetti NÃĪkkÃĪlÃĪjÃĪrvi
Watch more videos from the ICCE 2022 Virtual Conference >

Read More
Betty Biesenthal June 8, 2022 0