2025 Keynote Speakers
2025 Banquet speaker – Dr. Iain McKechnie
Dr. Iain McKechnie is a coastal archaeologist and associate professor of Anthropology at the University of Victoria. His research considers how archaeological records of Indigenous hunting and fishing traditions expand perspective on coastal ecosystems and resource management and conservation. Dr. McKechnie directs the Historical Ecology and Coastal Archaeology Lab as well as the UVic Zooarchaeology Lab and is involved in ongoing research with Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations, the Hakai Institute, Parks Canada, and the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.
2025 Luncheon speaker – Dr. Julia Christensen
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.