Greenpeace Canada has been commissioned by the Greenpeace Canada Education Fund to begin a new project to conduct investigative research over two years on the influence of fossil fuel companies in Canada. In this post, we introduce you to Greenpeace Canada’s new Senior Researcher and Writer, Nola Poirier, who tells us more about her background and the work involved. Our Senior Advisor at the Fund, Jackie Gallagher, interviews her.
Jackie: Welcome, Nola! I would love to hear about how you first heard about this position.
Nola: I first heard about this job when a friend forwarded me the posting with a note that said, “This sounds like it’s describing you exactly”. After receiving my Master of Environmental Studies from York, I’d spent the last fifteen years of my professional life focused on environmental research and social justice. The role connected deeply to my own experiences and interests.
Jackie: Could you tell us a bit more about your background?
Nola: Since 2013, I’ve been conducting in-depth, data-driven investigations and interview-based research. From 2013-2018, I worked for the Borealis Centre conducting research for international NGO clients, and from 2018-2021, I worked for Stand.earth as part of the Stand Research Group. Among other subjects, I investigated fracking, oil flows, biomass fuel, coal use in the fashion industry, and old-growth logging.
Jackie: You’ve worked with so many great environmental organizations! What attracted you to Greenpeace?
Nola: Working for Greenpeace has been a dream of mine since I first heard about the Rainbow Warrior as a kid. I admire the creativity and courage of the organization and I especially appreciate the organizational reflection and work Greenpeace has been doing in recent years to deepen their justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work internally and across their project areas.
As well, much of my previous work involved leaping from topic to topic as organizations needed research on evolving issues. I was rarely able to dive deep into any one topic. So when I read that this position was largely focused on one subject area, I knew I had found my dream role. I am delighted to be able to focus on the Canadian fossil fuel industry, develop expertise in the field, stay up to date on trends, and use this knowledge to make measurable progress with the public to delegitimize and thwart the delay tactics that fossil fuel companies expend.
Jackie: What do you think you can bring to your position as a Greenpeace Canada Senior Researcher?
Nola: I have long and varied experience as a researcher. My work is driven by insatiable curiosity and guided by skills gained over many years. I am meticulous about details, excited by data, and love piecing information together.
I am also a writer. As an icebreaker for one of the onboarding activities, we were asked what tool we would most like to be. I chose to be a pen. To me, pens have superpowers. You can share ideas and information with a pen, you can inspire others, you can change minds, you can create beauty, bring joy, and make indelible connections. I am almost never without one.
Jackie: Absolutely! I’d heard through the grapevine that you are also a creative writer!
Nola: Yes! In addition to working as an environmental writer, fiction writing is another passion of mine. I have a Master of Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and recently have been working to complete a book of short stories as well as a novel. Both of them are nearing completion. If you are interested, you can read one of my short stories in The Walrus magazine here.
Jackie: What is most exciting to you about this project? What does success look like?
When I think of the projects I’ve worked on in the past and which ones I’m most proud of, the first that come to mind are those where I uncovered some juicy piece of information that was hard to find or was especially enlightening. But the ones that really stay with me are those where the research left a lasting impact and made a tangible difference. My most recent job before taking this position was working as part of a small team to research and write a poverty report for the City of Powell River British Columbia, where I live. The City wanted to identify the scope of poverty in the region, as well as the demographics, key factors, types of poverty, and possible solutions. In the run-up to the municipal election here I attended my local all-candidates meeting. In their speeches, many of the candidates discussed aspects of poverty that we had highlighted in the report. Witnessing research I had done have a direct impact on political discourse made me excited for the time when the research I am starting now into the climate delays caused by the fossil fuel industry is shifting perceptions—and actions—in Canada’s political and public realms.
Jackie: Thanks so much for taking the time with us, Nola. We’re really excited to see the results of your work.
Nola: I extend a sincere thank you to everyone who helped make this position possible. I will work hard, think deeply, and aim to make my role worth its weight… not in gold, but in carbon savings!
