A trio of northerners is among the recipients of Clean50 Awards, which recognize their efforts in sustainability and clean-tech.
They include Russell Wesley, chief of Bizhiw-zaaga'iganiing Nitam Anishinaabeg (Cat Lake First Nation); Teika Newton of Kenora, executive director of the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation; and Nadia Mykytczuk of Sudbury, president and CEO of MIRARCO and executive director of the Goodman School of Mines.
Gavin Pitchford, CEO of the executive search firm Delta Management Group, created the Clean50 in 2011 to recognize exceptional contributors to the clean economy.
This year, 74 people are being honoured, chosen from a list of more than 1,100 nominees.
"The Clean50 Awards celebrate those who lead by example, inspiring real change for a healthier planet,” Pitchford said in an Oct. 15 news release.
“Each of 2026 honourees have set new standards for environmental responsibility, and I know will inspire countless others to follow suit.”
Described as a “national voice on the lived realities of climate change,” Wesley is being recognized for his advocacy on behalf of the community, in roles with federal and provincial ministries, in authoring the first Shared Territory Protocol, and negotiating the province’s first Indigenous-led Impact Assessment.
Under his leadership, the community has pushed back against mining permits while building projects including a forest biomass partnership with Finnish experts and a tree nursery training project.
“Wesley’s approach blends ancestral teachings with bold, modern advocacy, proving that Indigenous leadership is not just protecting lands and waters but actively shaping how Canada understands development, justice, and sustainability.”
Since 2023, Newton has led a small team in delivering 15 projects across the 70,000-square-kilometre Rainy-Lake of the Woods watershed.
During the annual International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum, she brings more than 30 agencies, governments, and Indigenous nations to the table, turning complex science and policy into actionable water and climate solutions.
“In 2025, she secured $395,000 for a three-year phosphorus management plan — attacking algae blooms at the source — and is modernizing the charity’s internal gears, all proving a tiny team can still make an outsized splash.”
In Sudbury, Mykytczuk is leading a team pioneering the use of microbes to recover nickel and cobalt from mine tailings with an efficiency rate of 90 per cent.
She’s overseen patent development, secured more than $10 million in research and development funding, and piloted technologies ready for commercial sale, while training students, developing STEM programs and co-designing graduate-level courses in sustainable mining.
“By linking innovation with education, partnerships, and policy, she is turning liabilities into resources and positioning Canada at the forefront of a circular, future-ready mineral sector — without building new mines.”