Law360 Canada (August 4, 2026, 2:25 PM EDT) -- The Law Foundation of Ontario has awarded the 2026 Guthrie Award, which recognizes exceptional access-to-justice champions, to Kerrie Blaise.

According to the foundation, Blaise is the founder and principal of Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence (LAND), a North Bay-based nonprofit dedicated to environmental justice and Indigenous rights in northern Ontario. She established LAND in 2023 to provide pro bono legal services on environmental, advocacy, public legal education and mentorship to Indigenous nations, community leaders and nonprofit organizations.

“Kerrie has carved a new path for environmental legal protections and Indigenous rights, giving voice to the people most affected by, yet historically excluded from, environmental policy and legal decision-making,” foundation board chair Gerald Chan said in a statement.

Blaise’s work includes Indigenous-led conservation and the development of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, an emerging mechanism for Indigenous self-determination and land stewardship. Through LAND and her previous role as northern services counsel at the Canadian Environmental Law Association, she has acted in environmental, resource extraction and energy matters before courts, tribunals and regulatory bodies.

Blaise earned her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and studied as a visiting student at the University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law. She also holds a master of science from the University of Edinburgh and a bachelor of environmental studies from York University.

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