SHAWN BELL

Shawn has spent his working life in support of Indigenous self-determination, governance and regaining Indigenous control over the lands and resources of the north. His legal practice is an extension of that work. What started as a legal practice in labour and employment law mostly for Indigenous organizations and people has now developed to include a wide variety of legal work, and a firm dedicated to serving First Nation governments, Tribal Councils, Indigenous organizations, and Indigenous people.

Most of Shawn’s work is with the communities, organizations and people of Treaty 9, Treaty 5, Treaty 3, and Robinson Superior Treaty territories. He works with Indigenous organizations in the health, education and social services sectors, represents not-for-profit corporations, does governance and policy work, and has a litigation practice. Shawn also conducts workplace harassment and violence investigations under both provincial and federal regimes, and is a member of the Roster of Investigators through the federal government’s workplace harassment and violence regulations.

Prior to enrolling in the first class at Lakehead University’s Faculty of Law in 2013, Shawn worked as a journalist in Fort Smith NWT, Fort Chipewyan AB, and as the Editor of Wawatay News in Treaty 9 territory. Before that, he spent an immersive eight months at Waseskun Healing Lodge in QC, writing a history and study of the healing centre for Correctional Services Canada.

Now that his wandering days are past, Shawn is glad to call Thunder Bay home. He is involved in the community, including as the former Chair of Our Kids Count. For a couple of years he taught a course he created with a colleague at the Lakehead Faculty of Law, and he has coached the Kawaskimhon Moot team at Lakehead since 2017. He tries to play regularly with the Thunder Bay lawyers and judges hockey league, but he’s hung up his goalie pads and now struggles playing forward. Although he loves the feel of snow under his boots, his ideal day would be spent on the water with his family, either fishing on Lake Superior or in a canoe on an inland lake. 

shawn@ebjlaw.ca