2025 Keynote Speakers

Dr. Rudy Reimer (Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC) is a member of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw/Squamish Nation, and works primarily on the west coast of British Columbia adjacent to the Salish Sea, and also has research interests in Plateau and western Subarctic regions.  His technical specialty is geoarchaeology and archaeometry but the public probably knows him best as the host for Wild Archaeology which focuses on the First Nations people of Canada through investigations by Indigenous archaeologists. Dr. Reimer will be our banquet speaker Friday evening. Learn more about Dr. Reimer’s work here.

Dr. Julia Christensen (Department of Geography and Planning, Queens University, Kinston, ON) is from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and notes it is “my home, but it is not my homeland.”  Her upbringing in Yellowknife contributed to her interest in homes and homelessness in northern and Indigenous communities.  She is also interested in the value of arts, storytelling, and creative writing in health.  She is presently the Project Director for At Home in the North, a consortium of university researchers, Indigenous, and northern community governments and organizations developing solutions and tools to deal with housing crises in the north. Dr. Christensen will be the luncheon speaker Saturday.  Learn more about Dr. Christensen’s work here.

Both speakers will also present a public talk at a place and time to be determined.

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