Jill of all trades from Sask. First Nation finds environmental passion

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Erica Anaquod always knew a typical office job was not in the cards for her, so she gambled on a career in the trades.

It’s paying off.

“I push the limits to set that stage, not only for myself but for my children and my family,” Anaquod says.

The mother of three has no regrets about how her career path unfolded.

Anaquod was a dental hygienist, a scaffolder and a carpenter before she found her passion as an environmental consultant. The Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation member is the founder and CEO of Moyeyihtamowin Consulting Ltd.

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“I provide information and processes in regards to environmental issues such as contamination of the water, soils, and any types of assessment that needs to be done, such as wildlife assessments and things of that nature,” she says.

She was part owner of a residential house-framing company in Regina from 2007 to 2013, gaining experience in bookkeeping, accounting and project management. At the same time, she trained for and became a dental hygienist.

“As a dental assistant, I just felt I topped out and there wasn’t anything more to learn,” Anaquod says.

That’s when she decided to explore other interests.

“Not many women were in the trades when I joined,” she notes. “I was one of the very few. I think we were at two per cent back then, but it was something I wanted to do.”

Often the only woman on some job sites, she admits it was tough because she faced a lot of discrimination.

“I was so quick to anger, because I hadn’t experienced that before,” she recalls of her early days in the trades. “Now I pick my battles.”

Anaquod’s career trajectory changed after she joined Prairie Arctic Regional Council Local 1985.

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“I worked on the Line 3 replacement with Enbridge, and on my down time I ended up linking with an environmental engineer on sites and I did a site assessment with him,” she says. “I just found that what he provided to the company was of interest to me.”

Fate intervened and she once again changed careers.

“The factor was COVID-19, actually, and I was pregnant with my last child, so I needed to do something different because working in the trades and being pregnant wasn’t something I wanted to do,” she says.

“All the classes were online, so it was perfect.”

Anaquod graduated from Saskatchewan Polytechnic on Thursday with a diploma in environmental engineering technology, along with a business certificate.

But she’s not done.

Anaquod plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science in environmental practice at the Royal Roads University in 2025 and is also in the process of challenging the National Construction Safety Officer certification.

She knows there are not many women in the trades or in the environmental industry, but she remains driven.

“Entering male-dominated fields is scary, but that’s who I am,” Anaquod says.

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As she continues down her path, she knows it’s where she’s meant to be. Anaquod says she believes Indigenous people need to be involved in the environmental and energy sectors.

“Not only are our people the stewards of the land, but we have a voice and we need that voice to bridge Indigenous knowledge with Western science,” she says.

“We need to have a say on renewable energy for our lands, for our people and for Turtle Island as a whole.”

Kerry Benjoe is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter with Eagle Feather News. The LJI program is federally funded by the Government of Canada.

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