13 Deborah McGregor

Deborah McGregor

Time period:

2000-present

Subject:

Indigenous Environmentalism

Biography:

Deborah McGregor is an Ojibway person from Whitefish River First Nation. McGregor was born in Birch Island, Ontario, to Elder Marion McGregor. She is an Anishinaabe scholar and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) expert and her work focuses on how Indigenous Knowledges and experiences can be applied to solve environmental problems. McGregor advocates for the inclusion of Indigenous voices and leadership in addressing climate change. Deborah McGregor received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Toronto, a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from York University, and she completed her PhD in Forestry in 2000 at University of Toronto. Her PhD dissertation focused on Indigenous involvement in forest management planning in Ontario. McGregor began her career as an associate professor in the University of Toronto’s geography department and went on to serve as the director of the university’s Centre for Aboriginal Initiatives and its Aboriginal Studies program. She was appointed as the Canada Research Chair on Indigenous Environmental Justice. McGregor led the research on topics of Indigenous environmentalism.

Summary of their contributions:

Deborah McGregor’s research focus on IKS can be applied to environmental issues, including water and forestry management, environmental justice and sustainable development. Her research has identified biases in the research on the topic of Indigenous Peoples and environmentalism. McGregor also does work on how Indigenous communities are developing innovative approaches to climate change. She argues that environmental issues need to account for the knowledges, experiences, and voices of Indigenous Peoples. McGregor has published about IKS and environmentalism in Canadian and international journals and also contributed to at least 22 books. In 2022, Deborah McGregor contributed to the International Panel on Climate Change’s sixth assessment report which outlined how Indigenous Peoples in Canada and USA are addressing and experiencing climate change.

Integration with the BC Secondary Science Curriculum:

Deborah McGregor’s work on climate change and Indigenous knowledges can be found throughout the BC Science curriculum. The curriculum provides many opportunities that are competency-driven and concept-based for students and teachers to explore climate change. Topics related to the environment and climate change can be found in the provincial science curriculum from K-10, and also in specialized courses such as Earth Sciences 11. One of Earth Sciences 11 big ideas is that The transfer of energy through the atmosphere creates weather, and this transfer is affected by climate change.

In terms of Curricular competencies, Deborah McGregor’s work can be applied, but not limited to:

• Apply First Peoples perspectives and knowledge, other ways of knowing, and local knowledge as sources of information
• Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal, local, or global interest
• Analyze cause-and-effect relationships
• Consider social, ethical, and environmental implications of the findings from their own and others’ investigations

One of the Core Competencies, the Personal and Social Core Competency, includes the sub-competency of Social Awareness and Responsibility. This competency encourages students to develop understanding, awareness, and appreciation of connections among people, including between people and the natural environment.

References:

Deborah McGregor. The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2023, July 28).                        https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/deborah-mcgregor

Ministry of Education and Child Care. (2024, January 23). K-12 climate change education in B.C. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/program-management/climatechangeeducation