An interdisciplinary artist, Sonny graduated from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2002. His work merges Aboriginal iconography with the aesthetics of popular culture to challenge social and historical values, and deals with the effects of colonization upon the Indigenous people of North America. His work has been accepted into the National Gallery of Canada and various public and private collections across Canada and the United States.

Cyndy Baskin (Mi’kmaq) is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at Ryerson University in Toronto. Her teaching and research interests centre on Indigenous world views in the helping professions.

Bonita Beatty is from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in northern Saskatchewan. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Alberta, specializing in First Nations governance and health care, with a particular interest in health care for the elderly. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Native Studies at the University of Saskatchewan.

Jennifer Brant—Mohawk, Turtle Clan—is a master’s degree candidate at Brock University. Her thesis reveals the barriers that Aboriginal women face in university and envisions Aboriginal women’s access to, and success within, university through culturally relevant educational experiences. She is currently program developer for the Gidayaamin Aboriginal Women’s Certificate Program at the Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education.

Vivien Carli has worked as an analyst and project officer at the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) in Montreal since 2008. She earned a BA (Hons) in international development and economics and an MA (Hons) in medical sociology, both at McGill University. Vivien has worked internationally and locally in health institutions and non-governmental organizations. She is currently working on Indigenous community safety issues at ICPC, and is collaborating with international institutions such as UN-HABITAT and UNODC on several initiatives.

Jaime Cidro is an assistant professor at the University of Winnipeg in the Department of Anthropology. She received her PhD in rural studies, sociology/anthropology from the University of Guelph. Her research focuses on the intersection of Aboriginal health and culture and socio-cultural determinants of health. Jaime is currently the lead investigator for a research project focusing on economic leakage and outlying remote communities in northern Manitoba.

Rochelle R. Côté, PhD, is a SSHRC post-doctoral research fellow with the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona. Formerly of the University of Toronto, her doctoral dissertation focused on the link between social networks and the success of Indigenous business owners. Her research interests include understanding the link between social tolerance and social networks, and the use of social networks and cultural knowledge in negotiating business opportunities for entrepreneurs.

J. D. Crookshanks is a PhD student in political science at the University of Alberta. His dissertation work is on urban Aboriginal governance in Edmonton and Winnipeg, with a focus on the housing sectors and the role that gender difference plays in the lives of Aboriginal women and men. He has also contributed his time to several housing- and homelessness-related organizations in Edmonton.

Kevin FitzMaurice is an assistant professor in the University of Sudbury’s Native Studies Department, where he specializes in Canadian politics and Aboriginal peoples, Aboriginal governance, child welfare, criminal justice, urbanization, and Native critical theory. He is a graduate of Trent University’s Indigenous Studies doctoral program, and is an ongoing student of Anishinaabe/Cree knowledge. He is presently involved in community-based, interdisciplinary research in the areas of housing and homelessness, urbanization, and Aboriginal governance.

Thomas Fleming is a professor of criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University. He has published extensively in the field of criminology, including work focused on Aboriginal land claims and environmental issues. In 2007, he received the Leadership in Faculty Teaching Award for his contributions to university teaching in Ontario.

Adrian Foster is a master’s candidate at Trent University’s Frost Centre. The paper that appears in this volume is drawn from his larger thesis work.

Joanne Heritz is a PhD candidate in comparative public policy in the Department of Political Science at McMaster University. She completed her BA (Hons) in history and political science and MA in political theory at Brock University, and master of information studies at the University of Toronto. Her research interest is the inclusion of Indigenous peoples living in urban centres in policy processes.

Daniel Jetté is of Tuscaroran, French-Canadian, and Irish-Canadian heritage. He holds an MA in public policy and public administration from Concordia University. He is presently a research manager at Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. Daniel has co-edited three scholarly publications dedicated to Aboriginal research.

Leslie King has been a Gladue caseworker at Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto since 2008. In addition to degrees in Indigenous learning and political science, he also holds a law degree from the University of Victoria. He has presented on Gladue reports at national conferences and has consulted with various individuals and organizations, including the National Parole Board.

Don McCaskill has taught in the Department of Indigenous Studies at Trent University for almost forty years, where he has held many positions, including founding director of the Indigenous Studies PhD program. He has written many articles, edited eight books, and has been an editor of the Canadian Journal of Native Studies for over thirty years. He has conducted research on such topics as Aboriginal education, community development, self-government, urbanization, justice and corrections, and international development, and recently completed a major study of Aboriginal people in Toronto, which resulted in the Toronto Aboriginal Research Project Final Report.

Tricia McGuire-Adams is research manager for the National Association of Friendship Centres. She holds a BA and BA (Hons) from Lakehead University, and an MA in Indigenous governance from the University of Victoria. Tricia, an Anishinaabe from Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, has committed her career to working with urban Indigenous peoples in areas such as community justice, post-secondary education, and community-based research projects.

Bela McPherson (Mohawk) is a social work researcher in Toronto. Her interests include Aboriginal women and children’s health equity.

David Newhouse is Onondaga from the Six Nations of the Grand River community near Brantford, Ontario. He was the first principal of the new Peter Gzowski College at Trent University and is now chair of the university’s Department of Indigenous Studies, co-chair of the Trent Aboriginal Education Council, and an associate professor in the business administration program. He teaches in the graduate community economic development program at Concordia University and is an adjunct professor in the graduate program in communication and culture at York University. His current research examines Indigenous ideas about the future and the manner in which these are given political and social expression.

Patricia O’Reilly teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her current research is in the field of victims’ rights. Patricia is a lawyer who practiced in the legal aid system for many years and has been actively involved in social justice issues throughout her life. She has also co-edited a book on social justice.

Jean-Luc Ratel is a PhD student at Laval University. He holds a BA from L’Université du Québec à Montréal, and an MA from Université de Montréal. Jean-Luc is particularly interested in the sociology of education, including the historical exclusion of Indigenous peoples from university, and the experience of students from minority cultures who attend an institution of the majority culture.

Carol Strike is an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Her research interests focus on delivery of health and social services for marginalized populations.

Arnette Weber-Beeds has been the executive director of Peter Ballantyne Health Services for over ten years, and prior to that served as its director of holistic health. She has over thirty years experience in various areas of public service, including mental health, addictions, federal corrections, post-secondary education, addiction-treatment administration, and First Nations health.