b'SUGAR BUSH MOONPOWERINGEmily Whetung-MacInnes on the COMMUNITYpower of voice and importance of RELATIONS solidarityBy Jennifer Ashawasegai-PereiraA ct fearless and findand Partnerships for the Ontario PowerToronto to pursue a Juris Doctor degree those women who areGeneration (OPG).from Osgoode Hall Law School at York standing beside youUniversity. In 2019, after a decade of and who are also usingWhetung-MacInnes grew up in Curveworking in real estate law, Whetung-their voice, advises AnishinaabekweLake First Nation, located north ofMacInnes was elected Chief of Curve lawyer Emily Whetung-MacInnes, whoPeterborough, Ont. She obtained aLake First Nation. One of the reasons currently works as the first IndigenousBachelor of Arts degree in philosophyshe ran for the position was to give back vice president of Indigenous Relationsat Trent University before heading toto community. My First Nation covered my tuition with no expectation of returnand it felt meaningful to give back to community, she says. Eight months later, the first known case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Canada, causing many Indigenous leaders to jump into action to defend their communities. It was a difficult situation for many First Nations across Canada who were hit hard by the coronavirus, as supported by Statistics Canada: For many Indigenous Peoples and communities, the burden and impact of COVID-19 may have been particularly exacerbated by a higher prevalence of comorbidities, poor housing conditions, historic and contemporary inadequate access to health services and other socio-economic inequities. It was certainly a challenging time to be a Chief of a First Nation, especially for a new leader.During that time, Whetung-MacInnes rolled up her sleeves and attended virtual meetings every two weeks. I had to figure out how to become a vaccina-tion expert, she says. Her work paid off; she became a member of a vaccine taskforce sub-committee, and now, Whetung-MacInnes states that Curve Lake First Nation had one of the highest vaccina-tion rates for First Nations in Canada.During her term as Curve Lake First Nation Chief, Whetung-MacInnes also 24 Fall/Winter 2025'