Skip to main content
Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Phill Cassey

Speaker: Phill Cassey, Head of the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and the Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Group, University of Adelaide

Presentation: Final reflections

Bio: is Head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, at the University of Adelaide. He has studied environmental biosecurity and wildlife conservation for 20+ years and is globally recognized for his research in invasion ecology and illegal wildlife trade.He has published over 300 international scientific research papers and is a vocal advocate for equity and inclusivity in scientific research and training practices. Phill is an Academic member of the AELERT and INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Groups, and in 2019, he was nominated by the Australian Government (Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment) to represent Australia as a lead author on the UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) ‘Global Biodiversity Assessment Report.’