About Us
Climate Action Team Manitoba (CAT) is a coalition of environmental organizations in Manitoba working together to envision, investigate, and promote a road to climate resilience in our province. Our work aims to advance climate solutions through policy research, organizing, coalition building, and creative communications.
Member organizations came together in late 2017 to independently review and consult with the public over the Province’s recently released Climate and Green Plan. CAT was formed one short year later when the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) 1.5C Report was released, stating how fast we need to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions in order to prevent irreversible outcomes. This drove home the need for an intentional, collaborative, and grassroots effort to accelerate towards a climate safe future.
Coalition members include Climate Change Connection, Wilderness Committee – Manitoba Office, Green Action Centre, Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Manitoba Office.
Our vision is to build a collaborative and resilient zero-carbon society that operates within the constraints of nature.
Our mission is to provide a framework for individuals, organizations, and communities to communicate and collaborate on a non-partisan, specific, and actionable path that will help Manitoba achieve resilience to climate impacts and move swiftly toward a fossil-fuel free future.
CAT STAFF
Laura Cameron
Director of Programs and Strategy
Meghan Mast
Communications Manager
Madrin Macgillivray Community Engagement Coordinator
James Wilt
Policy Manager
Kakeka Thundersky
Rural & Northern Outreach Coordinator
Bobbie Mangeli
Program Operations Coordinator
COALITION REPRESENTATIVES
Andrea Pelletier
MEJC Representative
Curt Hull
Policy Advisor & Climate Change Connection Representative
Molly McCracken
CCPA Representative
Bethany Daman
Strategic Advisor
Josep Seras-Gubert
Green Action Centre Representative
Eric Reder
Wilderness Committee Representative
COALITION MEMBERS
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Climate Action Team office is located in Winnipeg on Treaty 1 Territory, the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ithiniwak/Nehethowuk, Anisininewak, and Dakota Oyate Nations, as well as the homeland of the Red River Métis. These lands have been an important gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples since time immemorial.
The drinking water that sustains us in Winnipeg comes from the territory of Shoal Lake #40 First Nation–a community that was subject to a boil water advisory for a quarter century after aqueduct-related construction displaced and isolated the reserve–as well as the lands of Iskatewizaagegan #39 Independent First Nation. The electricity that enables our work comes from generating stations in the territories of Treaty 1, Treaty 3, and Treaty 5, with many Indigenous communities facing historic and ongoing displacement and devastation from hydroelectric activities. Additional electricity from thermal and wind generation comes from Treaty 1 territory.
We acknowledge that these lands were not ceded through the Treaties, but rather come with responsibilities and reciprocal relationships to uphold. We commit to learning and unlearning the harms that settler institutions–and environmental organizations in particular–have caused to Indigenous communities in Manitoba. Recognizing the connections between these lands, the original Nations and stewards, and the climate action we advocate, we commit to deepening our understanding and relationships for a better path forward and supporting Indigenous-led movements for landback. This work did not start with us and it will not end with us.
James (he/him) is a researcher and writer who has lived in Winnipeg for a decade. He received his PhD in geography from the University of Manitoba, where he studied the environmental history of oil spill research in Canada. He is also the author of three books—on public transit, alcohol politics, and policing—and previously worked as a freelance journalist in Alberta focusing on climate and energy politics. Outside of work, he enjoys riding his bike, doing puzzles, and watching movies.
Laura (she/her) is a researcher, policy analyst, and community organizer with over a decade of experience working to advance climate justice. Prior to joining CAT, Laura was a policy advisor with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, focused on strengthening federal climate and energy policy in Canada. Her work has been published in the Globe and Mail, CBC, Winnipeg Free Press, and numerous peer-review journals and international reports. Laura holds a master’s degree in Indigenous Governance from the University of Winnipeg and a BSc in biology from McGill University. Outside of work, Laura enjoys documentary filmmaking, gardening, swing dancing, playing soccer, and supporting grassroots movements.
Madrin Macgillivray (he/him) has lived on Treaty 1 since the age of 9 and supported community organizing efforts for social, economic, and climate justice for much of his life. A graduate of the Urban and Inner-City Studies department at the University of Winnipeg, Madrin is deeply committed to community development and collective action. When not working, he loves cooking, playing with his cat, running, reading, spending time with family and friends, and watching movies.
Kakeka ThunderSky is a young Anishinaabkwe with roots in Poplar River First Nation, Treaty 5 Territory. She is a former kid in care born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Kakeka is a dedicated mother of two beautiful girls, passionate land and water defender, grassroots community organizer, and a member of the Thunderbird Clan. Kakeka has been organizing in the community since the age of 14 and has been public speaking since age 8. She believes direct action rooted in ceremony is crucial to defend the land, water, and sky from further decreation. Outside of work, Kakeka enjoys going to the library, sewing, ice skating, going to ceremony, and learning how to skateboard alongside her daughters.
Meghan Mast (she/they) is CAT’s communications manager. She is a multimedia journalist who has covered agriculture, politics, hydro, health and the climate crisis. Her work has appeared on CBC Radio and in the Winnipeg Free Press, TheTyee.ca, the Globe and Mail and Megaphone magazine. She studied journalism at UBC’s Graduate School of Journalism and her interests centre on climate justice and sustainable food systems. Outside of work, Meghan enjoys community organizing, rock climbing, gardening and quilting.