A collective of seven Treaty One First Nations: Peguis First Nation, Long Plain First Nation, Sagkeeng First Nation, Sandy Bay First Nation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Roseau River Anishinabe Nation, and Swan Lake First Nation
An important opportunity for Leadership of First Nations/Tribes from accross Canada and the United States of America to meet with corporate, legal and government sectors to discuss how best to avail economic benefits and opportunities arising from the oil, gas, pipeline & energy Industry.
Robert C. Freedman
Robert Freedman's area of expertise includes: Aboriginal rights and title litigation; Indian Act disputes, First Nations treaty issues, including treaty litigation/treaty negotiations, and Water rights.
Robert has been a key part of legal teams for parties and interveners in a number of leading aboriginal rights and title cases including Delgamuukw v. B.C.; R. v. Gladstone; R. v. Van der Peet; R. v. Lewis; R. v. Jack; Paul v. F.A.C.; Mathias v. Canada et al.
Alan Latourelle
A public servant with Parks Canada since 1983, Parks Canada Chief Executive Officer Alan Latourelle has held positions of increasing responsibility in corporate services, strategic planning, portfolio affairs, policy and operational program delivery.
Under his leadership, three new national parks were established in Canada and conservation efforts advanced in several areas of natural resources, including lakes and green spaces. Latourelle led the development of the Historic Places Initiatives (HPI), including introduction of the Canadian Register of Historical Places, the Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund and a collaborative plan to promote conservation in all provinces and territories.
Latourelle set the direction through which Parks Canada has become a recognized leader in information management and technology, leading to an invitation from Microsoft to join its advanced technology network. Under his leadership, Parks Canada has developed an Internet-based reservations service, amalgamated toll free information and trip planning centres and enhanced one of the most frequently visited federal government websites.
Latourelle holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Universite du Quebec in Hull, and a Master of Business Administration from Queen's University in Kingston.
Harvey Sands
Harvey Sands provides business advisory and assurance services to a diverse entrepreneurial clientele primarily in real estate investment and development, including the lodging and hospitality sectors. He has been involved in the organization of numerous ownership and development joint ventures, as well as domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, representing purchasers, target companies and investment bankers.
In the last several years, Harvey has also represented a number of major US, European and Middle Eastern based investors, including US and foreign REITs.
Harvey provides business advisory and assurance services to clients in the manufacturing, distribution, technology and financial sectors, including acquisitions, consolidations and roll-ups. He has advised US and European law firms and clients on Canadian aspects of investing in Canada, cross-border transactions and Canadian real estate investment.
He also has extensive experience working with clients and investors in transaction architecture, negotiation and execution.
Harvey’s practice areas also include representation of and consulting to aboriginal groups in Land Claims, Impact and Benefit Agreements and business investment negotiations. Regularly invited as a speaker at conferences, Harvey has lectured on various real estate, aboriginal taxation and business advisory topics in Quebec and Ontario.
National Chief Phil Fontaine is a dedicated and highly respected leader in Canada. He has been instrumental in facilitating change and advancement for First Nations people from the time he was first elected to public office as Chief, at the young age of 28. He is a proud member of the Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba and still plays an active role in the support of his community.
Phil’s political vision began to take shape while he was a youth activist with the Canadian Indian Youth Council and a member of the Company of Young Canadians. He realized that self determination and the implementation of treaty and land rights were crucial to alleviating poverty for Fist Nations peoples and became an early advocate for these rights. When he became Chief in his own community, he put his thoughts into action by establishing the first Indian controlled education system in Canada; a locally controlled Child & Family Services agency; and the first on-reserve Alcohol and Addictions Treatment Centre in the country.
Having taken these bold steps, it was not long before his leadership abilities began to be recognized beyond his own community.
In the early 1980’s he was elected to the position of Manitoba Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations. When his term expired in 1991, he was elected Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs where he served for three consecutive terms. In this position, he was instrumental in protecting Aboriginal rights and treaty rights in the Canadian constitution by engineering the defeat of the Meech Lake Accord which would have given special status to Quebec, but not to the First Peoples of Canada. He also negotiated the first comprehensive self government plan for Manitoba First Nations and signed historic employment equity agreements which resulted in thousands of job opportunities for First Nations citizens. In June 2007, he negotiated a fair and just process for the settlement of Specific land claims, drawing on his experience as the Chief Commissioner of the Land Claims Commission, where he served for three years.
In 1997 he stepped onto the national stage where he was elected to the highest elected position in First Nations politics, that of National Chief. He is now serving an unprecedented third term in office. His list accomplishments in this role are legend and continue to grow.
Peter W. Hutchins
During more than thirty years of practice devoted exclusively to Aboriginal peoples, Peter Hutchins has been involved extensively in negotiation, litigation, counsel and special advisor work for First Nations and Inuit across Canada as well as non-Aboriginal Governments.
His litigation experience includes numerous appearances before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Canada, the courts of Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, the Northwest Territories, as well as the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Peter Hutchins has developed treaty negotiation positions involving historic, contemporary and international treaties, treaty and legislative texts as well as implementation measures on a full range of issues including Aboriginal rights and title, human rights, environmental, constitutional and international law for Aboriginal communities throughout Canada. He has extensive experience in treaty and legislative drafting and has advised the Federal and Territorial governments on Aboriginal governance and treaty implementation issues.
Michael J. Flatters
Michael J. Flatter’s practice focuses on income tax and excise tax aspects of domestic and international corporate reorganizations, financings and commercial transactions. Participated in the negotiation and drafting of taxation and finance chapters of significant Aboriginal land claims agreements with the Government of Canada and advised on taxation matters for Aboriginal groups.
Michael has written numerous articles and papers on tax and pension investment matters. Member: Canadian Petroleum Tax Society, International Fiscal Association, Canadian Tax Foundation. LL.B., Queen’s University 1977. He was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1979 and later the Alberta Bar in 1981.
Senator St. Germain
Biography
Senator St. Germain is a Metis from St. Boniface, Man. He went to school at St. François Xavier High School; St. Paul's College (Winnipeg).
His employment history before becoming a Senator was: Commercial Pilot, Building Contractor and Cattle Rancher.
Gerry was first elected to the House of Commons in a 1983 by-election and he was re-elected in 1984. He was appointed to the Senate June 23, 1993.
Ministerial Appointments: Sworn to the Queen's Privy Council when appointed Minister of State (Transport) March 31, 1988.
Appointed Minister of Forestry October 1988.
He was married in 1961 to Margaret Schilke. They have three children: Michele, Suzanne, and Jay.
Kate Kempton
Kate Kempton is a partner with Olthuis, Kleer, Townsend. Kate has a Master of Arts in Journalism and Communications, and Bachelor of Business Administration. She practices Aboriginal and environmental law, and civil litigation. She works with indigenous clients in the areas of reassertion of inherent sovereignty, inherent governance, international law, negotiations, and has successfully litigated in such areas as defence against harvesting charges, constitutional challenges to legislation, injunctions to prevent unilateral third-party development, tort and treaty claims.
Kate’s environmental law practice includes environmental assessment, litigation, administrative law, and legal advice for management of environmental non-profits. She has been a director of environmental organizations, such as Sierra Club of Canada and Environmental Defence Canada.
Kate is also developing a broader human rights practice with a focus on Charter, international law and expanding tort remedies. She has also practiced criminal defence work, handling jury and non-jury trials and most other types of criminal hearings. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Kate was a national television journalist, published author, marketer, and regional manager in the non-profit and corporate sectors, and has been a volunteer leader in the environmental, human rights and women’s issues fields for 20 years. Kate was recently selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2008 in the field of Aboriginal Law
Kimberly Wolfe
Kimberley Wolfe joined OKT as an associate in June of 2007. Kimberley is of Ho-Chunk ancestry. She received her B.A. Hons. with a double major in Criminology and Psychology and is bilingual in French and English. As an articling student, Kimberley received extensive experience in the area of civil litigation and appeared before the Human Rights Commission. During law school, Kimberley worked part-time at a boutique energy law firm in Toronto and volunteered as a group leader for the Community Legal Aid clinic. Kimberley received the Deans’ Achievement Award for Non-Traditional Advocacy Skills and was the top oralist and member of the first place team in the BLG Labour Arbitration Moot. She participated in several other moots including the Kawaskimhon Aboriginal Moot and as a French oralist in the Laskin Moot.
Prior to going to law school, Kimberley worked at Teranet where she assisted in revising implementation procedures for the conversion of properties in Ontario from the Registry to the Land Titles system. Kimberley is a member of the Ontario Bar Association, the Toronto Law Association, the Women's Law Association of Ontario, and was recently elected to the Board of Directors for Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto.