Silas Young, right, and his classmate Stephanus Appoh served food at ASSIST, the Welcome Home
Holiday Dinner.

Silas Young is the recipient of this year’s Robert Poulin Award, presented to a full-time Lakehead University student for outstanding citizenship.

Graduating this year with his HBComm in Accounting, Silas is the founder and chair of ASSIST, which stands for Assisting International Students Together.

“This is a registered not-for profit that I developed to support post-secondary international students here in Thunder Bay,” he said.

“Our main activity has been providing hundreds of post-secondary international students with a warm meal and holiday cheer for over two years with the annual Welcome Home Holiday Dinner Event.”

Silas founded the group, built the team, and achieved the not-for profit incorporation while drawing on community support. He created ASSIST to provide essential support to Thunder Bay’s international student community.

“When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, a lot of international students approached me in my capacity as a director of LUSU's Board and explained the immense pressure they were facing,” he said.

“I believe a lot of people in Thunder Bay have the misconception that all international students are wealthy. Many international students come from humble upbringings, and have taken a brave step in their journey by choosing to come to Canada.”

Silas started the group to help international students.

“As a business student, I think most of us are awestruck with the idea of building our own business that can provide value to other people, and I was really excited by the idea of structuring this group as a non-profit business,” he said.

Silas adapted the Welcome Home Holiday Dinner to become COVID-friendly using a pickup window so approximately 100 delicious meals could be served to students from Lakehead University and Confederation College.

“It took a lot of careful planning and the support of our generous sponsors, but it was essential towards giving international students something to look forward to during the holiday season and to let them know that they have not been forgotten.

“We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from the students, and I believe it gave them the energy boost they needed to enter the next semester with passion and vigour,” he said.

Earlier this year Silas received the Ingenuity Award at Lakehead University’s Research and Innovation Week, presented to one student and one faculty member who champion entrepreneurship and help further Ingenuity's mission.

He joined Enactus Lakehead in his first year at university, which was when he founded a financial literacy project that placed second in Enactus Canada’s regional and national competitions.

“From that point on, I became the president of the club and led our team to obtaining its first project accelerator grant from Enactus Canada,” Silas said.

He learned a lot from this experience – it gave him the foundation to pursue other opportunities such as joining Ingenuity's Advisory Board and founding ASSIST.

“My journey has provided engagement at the university and community level while representing the North on a national level. We have a lot of incredible student contributions that work towards furthering Ingenuity's mission. I was honoured to be selected as the recipient of that award.”

In addition to receiving the Robert Poulin Award, Silas also received the President’s Award given annually to graduating students who occupied positions of responsibility in student organizations, for their activities or achievements, or for making contributions that earned them special gratitude of their department, school or faculty.

After graduating, Silas will spend the summer as the Assistant Program Director for SHAD Lakehead. He’s excited to plan and facilitate events showcasing Thunder Bay to the 65 high school students participating in SHAD from across Canada.

He will also continue teaching part-time with Oshki-Pimache-O-Win: The Wenjack Education Institute while pursuing graduate school in Thunder Bay. He would like to eventually become a student in Lakehead’s Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.

This year Silas plans to create bursaries and scholarships for international students attending Lakehead University and Confederation College through ASSIST.

Since 1952, Lakehead University has presented the Robert Poulin Award annually to a full-time student selected by their fellows, the faculty and administration, for contributing most to the welfare of the University through student activities.

Lakehead named the Robert Poulin Award after an outstanding Forestry graduate from the Lakehead Technical Institute who died at the age of 20 due to a workplace accident.

Dr. Christopher Mushquash is a man with a mission. A clinical psychologist and professor in the Department of Psychology at Lakehead University, and a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, Dr. Mushquash has devoted his career to addressing mental health- and addiction-related issues in rural and Indigenous communities with an eye toward training and capacity-building for the next generation.

Dr. Mushquash is Anishinawbe and a member of Pawgwasheeng (Pays Plat First Nation). Born and raised in Sioux Lookout, his identity is strongly rooted in his First Nation culture. In fact, his desire to be of service to his community was the motivation for becoming a clinical psychologist. “Growing up in Northwestern Ontario,” said Dr. Mushquash, "I came to understand that there are significant disparities in the availability of health services. I had a particular interest in mental health and addiction, as well as research. I saw clinical psychology as a vehicle for me to develop skills that might be of use to others.”

A Lakehead alumnus himself (bachelor’s and master’s degrees), Dr. Mushquash is recognized in Canada as a leader in his field and is the recipient of numerous awards and honours. He is a teacher and active mentor for students; a researcher and scholar with a lengthy resume of published articles; and an active clinician serving patients at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, a First Nations community-based service organization in Fort William First Nation.

As one of only a handful of First Nation registered clinical psychologists in Canada, he is keenly aware of the gravity of his work. “There is a tremendous amount of capacity and wisdom in our communities,” said Dr. Mushquash. “At the same time, there remains a significant need, and motivation for healing. To be able to work with others to support Indigenous communities and people is an absolute honour and privilege.”

If you add in his other titles, Director of the Centre for Rural and Northern Health; Associate Vice President Research at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Chief Scientist at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute, it’s a wonder how he juggles all his critical roles. Perhaps that’s why teaching and training students are such integral parts of his work.

“Lakehead is an important partner. They provide the research and teaching infrastructure, and they create the environment for students to complete their clinical training,” said Dr. Mushquash. “It would be difficult to do the volume of work that we do without the capacity that trainees bring to our work. And they will be the ones doing it in the future.”

Despite his long list of titles and accomplishments and the life-changing impact of his work Dr. Mushquash prefers to shine the spotlight on others. He doesn’t see his legacy as the story of one man who did great things for his community. Instead, when the time comes to look back on his career, he said, “My hope is that I will have contributed to healing in our communities through research, clinical care, and through capacity building and training of others who will continue the journey long after I am gone.”

The work of the Indigenous Food Circle and other community partners is having a galvanizing effect in the region.

In times of crisis, vulnerable people in our societies often suffer the greatest hardships. This is proving to be true for Indigenous communities as the coronavirus continues to cause loss of life and economic upheaval.

“Indigenous people in Northwestern Ontario have almost double the rate of food insecurity as the white settler population,” explains Dr. Charles Levkoe, the Canada Research Chair in Equitable and Sustainable Food Systems at Lakehead University. 

The Indigenous Food Circle, one of the community partners Dr. Levkoe works with, is stepping up during the pandemic to secure money to provide nutritious food for Indigenous people in the region.

But this situation existed long before the pandemic arrived. Lack of access to healthy, affordable, and culturally-appropriate food has been a problem for Indigenous Canadians since European contact.

“Western countries have built food systems intended to maximize profit and reduce labour costs,” Dr. Levkoe says. “Underlying these systems are ideologies rooted in white supremacy, settler colonialism, and patriarchy. The result is inequality and injustice for large groups of people.”

Finding ways to create a more equitable food system drives Dr. Levkoe’s research, but he recognizes that real change comes from working together with communities and grassroots organizations who take the lead in creating solutions.

Locally, Dr. Levkoe collaborates with groups like the Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy. It was through the Food Strategy that he met Jessica McLaughlin, the group’s Indigenous representative. After a meeting, she and Dr. Levkoe asked each other:

“How can Thunder Bay – the Canadian city with the largest per capita percentage of Indigenous people – respond to Indigenous food security issues if there’s only one Indigenous person on this council?”

This prompted them to start the Indigenous Food Circle as a sister organization with Jessica as the coordinator. Dr. Levkoe remains involved with this primarily Indigenous-run group as a member of the advisory team.

Their goal is to foster Indigenous food sovereignty.

“That doesn’t mean charity or opening more northern stores that receive government subsidies and then charge $12 for a litre of milk,” Dr. Levkoe says. “It’s about returning decision-making power to Indigenous people and communities.”

The Indigenous Food Circle has taken action on this front by developing and implementing food sovereignty visions with 14 First Nations in the Thunder Bay area, in partnership with Lakehead University and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

Dr. Oula Seitsonen

The Finnish Chair Advisory Committee and the Department of Anthropology are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Oula Seitsonen as the 11th Lakehead University Chair in Finnish Studies. The Chair in Finnish Studies is an interdisciplinary appointment for one or two terms during the regular academic year.

Chairs are chosen by the Advisory Committee through an open competition and are expected to have a significant research profile. Dr. Seitsonen is an archaeologist with a particular interest in contemporary archaeology of, for instance, immigrant and refugee populations.

Dr. Seitsonen will be in Thunder Bay for the fall term and will be teaching a course entitled Modern Conflict Archaeology (ANTH 3811). During his time at Lakehead University, he will also be conducting a research project entitled “Finnish-Canadian homestead research in the footsteps of archaeologist Sakari Pälsi.”

He will be carrying out a multidisciplinary contemporary archaeological study of early-20th century Finnish Canadian homesteads and exploring the material heritage of Finnish Canadians in the Thunder Bay region, and retracing the trail that Finnish archaeologist Sakari Pälsi took in 1927 across Canada. Pälsi visited Finnish societies in different parts of Canada and documented their lifeways in photographs and writing, for instance, in the Port Arthur area, and at Sointula on the Malcom Island, British Columbia.

Dr. Seitsonen has taught a wide variety of courses at Universities of Helsinki and Oulu, and been in charge of archaeological field schools and fieldwork in various areas, besides Fennoscandia, for example in Mongolia and eastern Africa. His recent teaching has included e.g. the following lecture series: “Archaeologies of 20th Century Conflicts” and “Remote Sensing methods and approaches in Archaeology”. In addition to teaching, he enjoys community engagement that he has practiced for example through public lectures and community archaeological projects.

Research Interests:

Dr. Seitsonen’s doctoral dissertation “Digging Hitler’s Arctic War: Archaeologies and Heritage of the Second World War German Military Presence in Finnish Lapland” was the first theoretically informed, wide-scale study of the Second World War in Finland from archaeological and heritage perspective. His research has framed this difficult material legacy of the Nazi German military presence in Finnish Lapland during the Second World War as ‘dark heritage’ that is in varying ways significant to different communities.

He has also examined various archaeological and material culture approaches to contemporary discussions on heritage perception and ownership, indigenous rights, community empowerment, relational ontologies, effects of Anthropocene, and the ongoing refugee crisis. Besides contemporary and conflict archaeologies, Dr. Seitsonen studies the archaeology of pastoralist societies in northern Fennoscandia, Mongolia, and Kenya and Tanzania, and the prospects of applying remote sensing and artificial intelligence in archaeological research and heritage management. Dr. Seitsonen is the author of several publications, including the first monograph on modern conflict archaeology in Finland: Seitsonen O. 2021. Archaeologies of Hitler’s Arctic War. Heritage of the Second World War German Military Presence in Finnish Lapland (310 pp). Routledge: Abingdon.

Dr. Seitsonen’s office will be in BB2002-B in the Department of Anthropology. He can be contacted via email at oula.seitsonen@oulu.fi and will soon have a Lakehead University email address.

This issue features an article on the Recipients of the Teacher Education Research Fund Award, introduction to new staff in the Faculty, faculty news and profiles, and more.

To access the Education Exchange newsletter, click here.

Check out the latest Lake Superior Living Labs Network (LSLLN) newsletter for updates on our recent activity. The LSLLN serves as a platform to connect academics and community groups to develop new partnerships and collaborative initiatives across the Lake Superior watershed.

The May 2022 Lake Superior Living Labs Network newsletter is available here: https://mailchi.mp/e6a555c81150/june-2021-lslln-newsletter-15519508?e=[UNIQID]

Past Lake Superior Living Labs Network newsletters are available here: https://livinglabs.lakeheadu.ca/outputs-impacts/lslln-newsletters/

April 21, 2022 – Thunder Bay, Ont.

Lakehead University and Confederation College have signed a joint admission agreement that will facilitate the seamless transfer of students earning a college diploma directly to undergraduate studies at university.

Covering more than 30 distinct diploma to degree programs, this agreement will reduce red tape and the time, costs, and barriers of higher education by encouraging students to continue with post-secondary education after they complete their respective diploma program.

Through this agreement, students will experience improved and collaborative recruitment, communication, transition, and academic advising.

“It is important for eligible students to know in advance they    have a place in both a diploma and a degree program, which allows for long-term planning and greater stability,” said Richard Gemmill, Confederation College’s Vice-President, Academic.

“If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that access to post-secondary education and the ability for individuals and families to plan long-term cannot be taken for granted,” said David Barnett, Provost and Vice-President (Academic), Lakehead University.

“As the only comprehensive university in Northern Ontario, this agreement will expand post-secondary options to those throughout Northwestern Ontario,” said Moira McPherson, President and Vice-Chancellor, Lakehead University.

“In particular, it will provide students who begin their studies at any of Confederation College’s  eight campuses the ability to seamlessly complete some, if not all, of certain degree requirements in their home communities,” McPherson said.

“Confederation College and Lakehead University have long worked together and been committed to facilitating access to post-secondary education throughout Northwestern Ontario,” said Kathleen Lynch, President, Confederation College.

“This agreement builds on our individual institutional strengths, broadens our collective commitment to the communities we serve, and paves the way for new and innovative opportunities,” Lynch said.

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Media are invited to reach out to the contacts below for more information or an interview:

Lakehead University: Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Confederation College: Kim Daynard, Director, Communications, at (807) 621-5265 or comms@confederationcollege.ca

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and in the top 100 of 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

Confederation College has been serving the citizens of northwestern Ontario since 1967 meeting the educational needs of students in a catchment area of some 550,000 square kilometres. Along with its main campus in Thunder Bay, Confederation College has seven regional sites located in Dryden, Fort Frances, Greenstone, Kenora, Marathon, Sioux Lookout and Red Lake, as well as a growing Distance Education division. 

Confederation College delivers exceptional education and training to an average of 7,000 combined full- and part-time students per year and currently has a total of 600 full- and part-time employees. Confederation’s regional economic impact and contribution is valued at $707.3 million annually.

A new book by several Lakehead co-authors, The Capitol Riots, explores the Capitol riots of January 2021, providing context for understanding the contributing factors and ongoing implications of the uprising. Written by Dr. Sandra Jeppesen, Professor of Media, Film, and Communications, Dr. Michael Hoechsmann, Associate Professor of Education, and current and former Lakehead University graduate students in Education, iowyth hezel ulthiin, David VanDyke, and Miranda McKee, The Capitol Riots includes contributions by Henry Giroux and Chenjerai Kumanyika.

Through an analysis of raw and visual data, this definitive text maps the events of the day, explores the rise of populism, disinformation, conspiracy theories, the alt-right, and white supremacy during the "Stop the Steal" campaign, and analyzes the complex interplay, during the riots that this campaign culminated in, of political performances, costumes, objectives, communications, digital media, datafication, race, gender, and ultimately power.

For more information or to purchase, please visit https://www.routledge.com/The-Capitol-Riots-Digital-Media-Disinformation-and-Democracy-Under-Attack/Jeppesen-Hoechsmann-ulthiin-VanDyke-McKee/p/book/9781032160405#.

News from the Giant is a series of three programs that will air on CKPR television on Wednesday, May 18, Thursday, May 19, Friday, May 20 at 7 pm.

This series explores Thunder Bay and the Lakehead region through the lens of the nightly news from the late 1950s and early 1960s. The production is part of a larger project called the Reel Memories Project. News from the Giant replicates the newsreels that were once shown in movie theatres around the world.

This is a public history project that faculty, along with current and former students  in the Department of History have been working on for the past three years and News from the Giant is one of the first results of the research. In addition to the work of faculty and students, the project also features the talent of people in the local film industry.

The series covers a variety of topics that will be of interest to anyone who appreciates history and the art of filmmaking. See a report on Queen’s visit in 1959, hear what Tommy Douglas had to say about the Canadian economy, and watch as the “Twist” is danced for the first time at the Lakehead. Tune in for an entertaining look at the local news from years gone by.

April 8, 2022 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.

Lakehead University's School of Nursing and School of Social Work, in collaboration with Wounds Canada, will be hosting the first virtual Patient Journey Conference on Thursday, June 9 and Friday, June 10.

Funded through a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Dr. Ide Costa from the School of Nursing (principal-investigator) is also the conference’s chair, with presentations by the co-investigators Dr. Catherine Phillips (School of Social Work), Dr. Michelle Spadoni (School of Nursing), Dr. Pilar Camargo Plazas (Queen's University), and the support of Mariam Botros, CEO of Wounds Canada.

Called Our Voices, Our Stories, the conference will bring individuals, families and caregivers affected by complex wounds together with researchers, health and social service providers, educators, community leaders, and policymakers.

The conference will disseminate video stories of patients and families living with hard-to-heal wounds and provide them with the opportunity to honour their voices and experiences of navigating social life and the Canadian health-care system.

Speakers will address social determinants of health perpetuating health inequalities and discuss collaborative strategies to improve the delivery of a holistic and patient-centred wound care approach.

“The conference has a social justice focus, and it will discuss the power of patients’ and families’ voices and stories in uncovering the gaps in the health-care system and the need to implement a patient-centred wound care approach,” Dr. Costa said.

 “Dr. Costa's exemplary leadership with the patients’ journey conference represents an innovative approach to the use of academic scholarship to promote health in Northwestern Ontario and beyond,” said Dr. Kristen Jones-Bonofiglio, Director of Lakehead’s School of Nursing.

“Wounds Canada believes centring the voice of the patient is crucial to enacting change in the health-care system and delivering the best possible wound care,” Botros said.

“The more diverse stories we can share and learn from, the better equipped we are to do what we do best – advocate and educate about wound prevention and management.  That's why we're proud to be jointly co-hosting ‘Our Voices, Our Stories’ with Lakehead University.

“This conference will provide an opportunity to listen to individuals’ and families’ stories of the impact of hard-to-heal wounds on their lives, identify gaps and synergies in wound care provision, and enact holistic wound management strategies for the future,” Botros said.

This free and unique two-day learning, outreach and knowledge exchange conference will take place virtually, allowing participants access from anywhere and ensuring safety for vulnerable populations wishing to attend.

During the conference, participants will have the opportunity to engage in presentations, listen to different individuals' stories, share their thoughts for improving wound care in Canada, and chat in the networking lounge with people living with wounds.

Participants can also visit the virtual exhibit hall to meet with non-profit organizations that support patients and families, and access educational resources.

Register now by visiting: www.woundscanada2022.ca/en/registration

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

For Wounds Canada interviews, contact Laura Clarke at laura.clarke@woundscanada.ca or 416-485-2292.

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and in the top 100 of 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

Established in 1995, Wounds Canada is a charitable organization dedicated to the advancement of wound prevention and management for all people in Canada. We accomplish this by advocating for a population health approach that promotes best practices to support persons at risk of or living with wounds, health decision makers and frontline clinicians. We develop and provide educational programs and resources as well as support research to further advance this holistic, risk-based approach. We foster relationships with interested individuals and organizations to expand and sustain a robust wound community in Canada that also has mutually beneficial global connections. Our goal is to reduce the prevalence and incidence of wounds of all types and the negative consequences they bring—including patient suffering and wasted health-care dollars. To learn more, visit www.woundscanada.ca. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WoundsCanada.