Working on behalf of the initiative co-lead, Inuit Circumpolar Council of Canada, Ishka Consulting served as lead consultant during the partnership development phase.

Erin played a central role in supporting a highly complex $90M research initiative to get off the ground through negotiation and trust building.

This is the largest grant of its type in Canada to be implemented through a co-leadership model that centers Indigenous self-determination in research.

Ishka Consulting supported an all-Inuit department at Baffinland Iron Mines to re-develop its Inuit Knowledge Framework and practices based on community-based staff.

Under the guidance of senior executives and community-based knowledge holders, we developed an Inuit Knowledge Cycle, Steering Committee and Community Engagement Plan to advance Inuit-led community engagement and knowlegde collection that will enhance integration of Inuit Knowledge throughout the mine’s operations and planning.

Erin worked directly for Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) to create a pilot marine monitoring program that pairs skilled Inuit monitors with remote monitoring technology for vessel tracking in the Arctic.

She facilitated multiple partnerships, including with Marine Exchange of Alaska, Transport Canada (TC), Canadian Coast Guard, and Nunavut Fisheries Training Consortium.

At the end of the 3-year pilot phase, Erin worked with a community representative to assess the program for continuous improvement.

Working with a team at Oceans North, Erin developed and launched the Maritime Energy Transition campaign.

This included research, campaign strategies, outreach and partnership development with maritime ports, shipping and renewable energy companies throughout Canada.

Erin hosted a Ports & Maritime Hydrogen Summit Series that including broad industry attendance and participation of two federal cabinet minsiters.

Erin supported the successful bid and 5 years of implementation of the Ekaluktutiak Hunters and Trappers Organization’s (EHTO) Pilot Site for the Governmance of Canada’s Ocean Protection Plan.

She developed partnerships and supported the EHTO to create the multi-staleholder Victoria Island Waterway Safety Committee, which created and secured protection for an essential caribou and hunter sea ice crossing.

We also partnered with NTI and TC to hire marine monitors which led to interseption of an illegal transit during the COVD-19 pandemic.

Erin supported community-based staff to design and conduct Inuit-led elder interviews to collect Inuit Knowledge needed for management decisions related to a major mine expansion project.

The knowledge shared in these interviews, conducted in Inuktitut by other Elders, directly informs project mitigations related to caribou, marine mammals, local access and use, and other commitments.

The interview approach, the first of its kind in this project, will be used as an iterative model for knowledge holder engagement and adaptive management.

As a consultant to Ducks Unlimited and the Pew Charitable Trust, Erin wrote an innovative policy proposal for creating co-governed voluntary shipping corridors throughout the Canadian Arctic that integrate safety, ecological protections and Inuit rights.

The Government of Canada adopted this model, resulting in the Low Impact Shipping Corridors initiative.

Subsequent advocacy and implementation included a partnership with the Aiviiq Hunters and Trappers Association (Coral Harbour, Nuanvut) to secure re-routing of a primary shipping lane away from critical walrus habitat and local hunting grounds.

Erin has supported numerous efforts with various partners to advance Arctic-specific initiatives to reduce underwater noise disturbance.

This has included:
• Supporting the efforts of Inuit Circumpolar Council of Canada to develop Inuit Nunaat guidance for the International Maritime Organization’s Underwater Radiated Noise Guidelines.
• Working with industry partners and TC, securing a voluntary, industry-supported Cruise Ship Avoidance Zone in Eclipse Sound, Nunavut, following low narwhal use.
• Policy submissions and advocacy for Canada’s Ocean Noise Strategy.