Blog: Can Training Enable Indigenous Participation in Monitoring?

Technical capacity can be a limiting factor to Indigenous participation in environmental monitoring. To address this, an Environmental Monitoring Technician Training Program Pilot for First Nations and Métis communities in the oil sands region of Alberta was initiated in 2015. The training program was designed with cultural sensitivity and accessibility as guiding principles. The objectives were to enable Indigenous participation in field monitoring within communities, with industry or government, to provide technical competence in the field in surface water quality monitoring, wildlife monitoring and safety, and to provide an opportunity for scientists and Indigenous communities to build connections to enable productive relationships