Resolute Power Engineer Featured in Green Jobs Guide for Indigenous Professionals

Devin Hurcombe, an Anishinabek citizen from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and power engineer at Resolute’s Thunder Bay (Ontario) pulp and paper mill, is featured in A Guide to Green Jobs in Canada: Voices of Indigenous Professionals. The 60-page guide, published by Project Learning Tree (PLT) Canada, features practical career factsheets and the stories of 12 Indigenous leaders who work in the forest, conservation and parks sectors. According to PLT Canada, “these Indigenous role models describe what inspired them to pursue green careers and share lessons learned from lived experiences. Their stories reflect the values and perspectives of Indigenous professionals at various stages of their careers.” 

“My work in cogeneration ties to my heritage and teachings about being one with nature,” Devin explains in the guide. “Cogeneration is about using what you have and not wasting things. Whether it’s harvesting a deer or a tree, you’re not wasting things. Resolute is using the leftovers like bark, chips and sawdust to create power after making lumber or paper products. Nothing is wasted.”

As a power engineer, Devin recognizes the value of resource optimization and waste reduction. The biomass cogeneration station where he works, located at the pulp and paper mill, produces green energy from the waste streams of all four Resolute operations in Northwestern Ontario. That includes bark, sawdust and fines from sawmills; sludge from the pulp and paper mill; and bush debris from woodlands harvesting operations. The cogeneration station also generates heat to power the pulp and paper operations, and even supplies the resulting ash to local farmers for nutrient addition on their fields; avoiding landfilling. The cogeneration station is a key element in an integrated business infrastructure that is replacing non-renewable, GHG-intense power with green energy. 

Images of Devin on the job are featured on PLT’s website. 

A Guide to Green Jobs in Canada: Voices of Indigenous Professionals is available at no cost in e-book or hard copy formats, in English, French and Anishinaabemowin. A Plains Cree version is also in development.