Chief Russell Wesley

In a community accessible only by air or an increasingly unreliable winter road, Chief Russell Wesley has emerged as a national voice on the lived realities of climate change. Over four decades, he has held senior roles with federal and provincial ministries, authored Ontario’s first Shared Territory Protocol, and led the province’s first Indigenous-driven impact assessment.

Since first serving as Chief from 2013–2016 and again currently, Chief Wesley has championed land and resource stewardship grounded in Anishinaabe teachings and Elders’ guidance. Under his leadership, Cat Lake First Nation has successfully challenged mining permits through the courts while advancing forward-looking initiatives, including a forest biomass partnership with Finnish experts and a community tree nursery training project.

In 2022, he negotiated Ontario’s first Indigenous-led impact assessment for the Springpole Gold Project, strengthening community-led environmental governance. Recently inducted into the Clean50, Chief Wesley is widely recognized for his leadership in climate action, Indigenous rights, and sustainable development—demonstrating how Indigenous governance is actively shaping Canada’s approach to development and justice.

Cat Lake First Nation is an Anishinaabe (Ojibway) community in Treaty 9 territory, located approximately 180 km north of Sioux Lookout.