Mark is Ojibwe and a Band member of Whitefish River First Nation located on
Birch Island, Ontario in the District of Manitoulin Island and he is the Founder of
two First Nations owned companies, IndiGenius and Associates Inc. and Birch
Bark Coffee Company Inc.. He is on a mission to make a difference in
Indigenous people’s lives across Canada. He is a firm believer that with selfdetermination and perseverance he can make a difference through education
and awareness across our nation.

Mark is a highly accomplished First Nations Justice Consultant, Entrepreneur
and College Instructor with a comprehensive knowledge and history of
Indigenous law and the social injustices Indigenous people have faced and
continue to face. He was a senior case manager with over 27 years’ experience
in social services. He was Proficient in Indigenous program development,
facilitation, counselling, curriculum development and continues as a lead
College Instructor in British Columbia and professional Gladue expert and
writer.

He has held several positions within Indigenous organizations helping to
develop and oversee First Nation’s justice programs, In addition to ensuring
Provincial and Federal courts and Indigenous people in conflict with the law
understood the necessary programming that was available to help individuals
embark on a healing journey whether facing incarceration or returning to a
community.

Mark is the first Indigenous person to have signage placed within the Ottawa
Court House showing accessibility to Indigenous justice programs in English,
French, Inuktitut and Brail.

As a case manager he has spent most of his career with a focus on young
offenders and adult offenders both in open and secure closed facilities, as well
as, working over 10 years with adolescents legislated to a Secure Intensive
treatment facility with mental health illnesses.
Mark maintains a position as an IRSSS Residential School Crisis Line Counsellor
with Donna Cona, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (Resolution
Individual Affairs Sector) providing counselling for families of Murdered and
Missing Indigenous Women, and girls (MMIWG), Day School Students (IDS),
Hope for Wellness (HFW), Residential School students and the resourcing
related to the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC).

In partnership with Vancouver Community College located in downtown
Vancouver, British Columbia Mark created the first ever intensive Gladue
training curriculum for Gladue writers with an official college certificate in
Canada with the support of the Post-Secondary accredited College. His focus
was on developing a certification body that would ultimately create a national
standard for Gladue writers in Canada and have them recognized as
professionals within the court of law and our Nation.

Gladue is a coined phrase established by the westernized justice system and
Mark is the first writer to push to have this changed to ‘Sacred Story Report’. In
2018 the new title used was ‘Sworn-in’ on a case and documented in the
Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII).

Mark was requested to be part of the Expert Advisory Committee on Health
Care Transformation in Corrections and helped in the development of the Final
Report for the Ministry of Corrections and the Ministry of Health.

Mark has held important positions on several committees, including the
Restorative Justice Network, Mental Health Steering Committee for the Ottawa
Courts and the Canadian Association of Mental Health.

Mark is also the Founder of a social enterprise that is cause-driven aiming to
tackle Indigenous injustices within Canada, in particular the water crisis. He is
on a quest to share a story of third world-like conditions that Indigenous people
continue to live within our Nation. Inspiring others to believe in themselves and
to discover their purpose in life that may lead them on a journey to self-reflect
on ethical and sustainable responsibilities that have positive social impacts in
our world through cause-driven initiatives.

He has been recognized for his work winning the People in Business Award
given at the Waters Next Awards by Water Next Canada in 2019. He has won the
Indigenous Entrepreneur award both Regional and National with Start-Up
Canada for 2020. He was awarded the Alumni of Distinction, Community
Services Award from Algonquin College, he was nominated for the 2019
Premier’s Award for Outstanding Ontario College Graduates 2019 and most
recently has been included as a chapter in a novel being published for Fair
Trade Canada.

Mark continues to spend a great deal of his time teaching and doing speaking
engagements across Canada inspiring Indigenous and non-Indigenous
students, individuals and organizations who have an interest in understanding
the fundamental frameworks of Indigenous injustices through an Indigenous
lens and the impacts they have on Indigenous people, communities and Mother
Earth.