From November 4 to 6, 2025, in Edmonton, AB, members from CIER’s Energy InSites team (Jen Lisle, Sam Wang, and Wendy Ross) joined partners from The Leap Group (Christine Chateau and Kisē-Napēw Ūtin) for a Regional Energy Workshop event focused on energy, climate, and our shared future. 

Energy InSites is a building retrofit program designed to reduce energy consumption and emissions in existing buildings within Indigenous communities. The program also develops local energy champions through education and capacity-building, helping grow energy literacy and climate leadership across the region. 

Participants for the event included community members from Witchekan Lake First Nation, Samson Cree Nation, Sawridge First Nation, and a representative from Tribal Chief Ventures Inc. 

The Regional Energy Workshop brought together community energy leaders, Elders, Knowledge Keepers/Holders, and practitioners to strengthen relationships, offer mutual support, and envision work that extends beyond the Energy InSites initiative. Together, participants explored how energy use, emissions, and climate change are interconnected through Indigenous perspectives and lived experiences. 

The event created space to share knowledge on energy and emissions, to build community capacity to understand energy consumption and its impacts, and to support Indigenous energy sovereignty and empowerment. Discussions explored climate change through Indigenous worldviews, the need for community-driven approaches, the importance of youth leadership, and the value of learning from local and regional experiences. 

A highlight of the workshop was a visit to Samson Cree Nation’s state-of-the-art solar-powered wastewater treatment plant, completed in 2020. The tour provided a powerful example of how renewable energy and infrastructure can support community well-being and long-term sustainability. 

Another aspect of Energy InSites includes funding for Youth Champions under the Indigenous Youth Energy Champion Accelerator program (IYECA), which aims to develop skills and knowledge to support Indigenous youth in exploring a career in the energy field using a culturally grounded curriculum and knowledge sharing.  

One of the Youth Energy Champions, Jerry Johnson Jr. from Samson Cree Nation, attended the Regional Energy Workshop gathering and emphasized the importance of community engagement and grounding energy work in Cree culture. 

This past summer, the Samson team hosted a workshop that welcomed more than 200 community members, and included a round dance to bring people together, share knowledge, and strengthen cultural connections.