In early September, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 Atlantic Emergency Management Conference (AEMC) in Charlottetown, PEI, that was co-hosted by the North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council (NSMTC), Wolastoqey Tribal Council Inc. (WTCI), and the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM). This year’s theme was “Braving the Uncertain,” which focused on known and unknown issues that emergency management professionals work through daily.

I was honored to attend as a delegate, an exhibitor for EMLCanada, and a presenter, where I gave a talk called Emergency Preparedness Inside Out: A Social Capital Approach to Community Readiness. The presentation looks at the traditional “command and control” model of emergency management through the lens of building community-centric, asset-based strategies that every community (regardless of size or complexity) can use to strengthen local resilience. The reception to these ideas confirmed that we are progressing effectively in assisting communities to enhance their preparedness from within.