OTTAWA — The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) has released the names of the recipients in its annual Awards of Excellence program.
Three of this year's 18 winners are from Northwestern Ontario.
Edward Wawia of the Red Rock Indian Band, the Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief (Northern Superior Region) of the Anishinabek nation, received a Forest Community Champion award.
The FPAC described Wawia as a long-time champion of sustainable forest management.
At the age of 15, he completed Junior Rangers training, and began fighting forest fires at 16.
Upon retiring from the mining industry after 40 years, Wawia entered First Nations politics and was assigned the Lands and Resources portfolio.
"The Deputy Grand Chief remains a firm believer that the forest industry is home to First Nations peopple, and we must continue to work to ensure sustainability," the FPAC said
Autumn Quenville, a member of Whitesand First Nation, won a Canadian Council of Forest Ministers' Skills Award for Indigenous Youth.
Quenville graduated from the Welding Techniques and Mechanical Engineering Technician programs at Confederation College, and worked as a millwright at Resolute Forest Products in Thunder Bay in 2019 as part of a co-op prerequisite.
FPAC said that experience helped "open up her eyes to the possibilities" when she completes her education.
"Autumn is dedicated to becoming a red seal millwright and setting a good example for the young Indigenous women from her hometown," it said.
The third area recipient is Bonny Wood, a project engineer who leads capital initiatives at Resolute's Thunder Bay pulp and paper mill.
Wood received the FPAC Innovation Award.
She has worked on projects to reduce the mill's ecological footprint, augment paper machine safety, and modernize equipment.
Before joining the engineering department, Wood spent many years working in mill operations, directing team initiatives on safety, production and efficiency.
