Aanii kina waya! G’chi Waabshka Mukwa ndizhinikaaz miinwaa Nimkiins ndizhinikaaz bineshiinh ndondem Okikendawt ndonjiibaa Anishinaabe nini ndow. N’Swakamok nindaa. Enaadmaget wiibimadziiyins ninanokii miinwaa nindaww ozhibi’ige. Gekinoo’amaagan Laurentian University, ninaanaagedawendaan ezhi-gikinoo’amaageyaang Masters of Indigenous Relations. Ninzhaaganaashiimo, wemitigoozhiimo, miinwaa bangii anishinaabemo. Nishtana ashi nswi biboonsik miinwaa naanaan bibonsik misko-miikaaning.

Hello everyone! My name is Connor Lafortune and my Anishinabek name is Great White Spirit Bear. I am from Dokis First Nation on Robinson Huron Treaty territory of 1850 in Northeastern Ontario and have lived and worked in N’Swakamok (Sudbury, ON) since 2019. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree at Nipissing University with a Double Honors Major in Indigenous Studies and Gender Equality and Social Justice with a minor in Legal Studies. In 2025, I graduated from the Masters in Indigenous Relations at Laurentian University. In fall 2025, I started the Rural and Northern Health Doctoral program at Laurentian University.  

I am Anishinaabek, Queer, and Francophone; I work primarily in Life Promotion, harm-reduction, mental health, and Indigenous education through organizations such as the Feather Carriers: Leadership for Life Promotion, School Mental Health Ontario, and Cannabis and Psychosis Canada. I am a G’Chi Odewey Jig (board member) and Ozhiitaa Jig (teacher in training) for Feather Carriers: Leadership for Life Promotion. 

I use my understanding of the world to shape my creations as a writer, spoken word poet, and musician. I often combine the written word with traditional Indigenous beadwork and sewing to recreate the stories of colonization, showcase resilience, and imagine a new future. In 2023, I recently released a single in collaboration with Juno Award winner G.R. Gritt titled “Qui crie au loup? ft. Connor Lafortune.” In 2025, I co-edited A Thousand Tiny Awakenings with Lindsay Mayhew through Latitude 46 Publishing. Above all else, I am an activist, a shkaabewis (helper), and a compassionate human being.