Jessica McLaughlin

Jessica is a member of the Long Lake #58 First Nation and grew up in Nakina, Ontario she is a mother to Jaxon and they live in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Jessica has been working in Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Northern Ontario for ten plus years. She is the co-founder of the Indigenous Food Circle, a community based Indigenous food network, and is a co-founder of Gaagige Zaagibigaa, which is a collaborative based funding organization that funds grassroots projects to First Nation communities and people in Northern Ontario. Jessica has also led a number of research and action projects working with First Nation communities in Northern Ontario assisting communities reclaim ancestral food systems. Using a decolonial systems lens, Jessica has been central to empowering and supporting communities in their self-determined food system goals. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Lakehead University and an Honors Bachelor of Social Work from Lakehead University, but credits her most integral learning to be from Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers that she is honored to work and learn alongside with.