Zach is Nehiyaw (Plains Cree), and joined Ecojustice in 2021. He is from Cochrane, Alberta. He graduated with High Distinction from the University of Toronto in 2016, where he received an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy, Aboriginal Studies, and Russian Language. Zach received his JD from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where he was also awarded the Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award. Zach completed his articles in 2020 at Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, a law firm which specializes in representing Indigenous communities on a wide range of legal issues, and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2020.
During his time as a student and lawyer, Zach has continued to pursue his passion for building space for Indigenous communities and worldviews in a variety of settings, including as co-founder of the Indigenous Studies Students’ Union at the University of Toronto Faculty of Arts and Science, as well as founder of the Indigenous Rights Working Group at the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights. Zach has also served as co-president of the Indigenous Law Students’ Association at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, and as a senior editor for the Indigenous Law Journal. Zach also worked as research assistant to Jonathan Rudin, Program Director for Aboriginal Legal Services, in the publication of Mr. Rudin’s book, Indigenous People and the Criminal Justice System: A Practitioner’s Handbook.
At Ecojustice, Zach works on a variety of legal issues including Indigenous rights, protecting biodiversity, and holding industry to account. Zach is also a big fan of dogs of all kinds, and he enjoys playing guitar and painting models in his free time.