Indigenous Success Stories: Inuit

NationTalk: Toronto ON and Winnipeg MB — The Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) and Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) are pleased to announce that Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn has been chosen as Best World-Changing Idea, North America, in the annual World Changing Ideas Awards presented by Fast Company magazine. The Awards honour sustainable designs, innovative products, bold social initiatives, and other creative projects that are changing the way we work, live, and interact with the world.

In April 2022, the organizations together unveiled SCO’s visionary plan to turn the former HBC building, which was gifted to SCO, into a space for economic and social reconciliation. The project’s working title – Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn, or ‘it is visible’ – will transform the building to include approx. 300 housing units, child care, a health and healing centre, museum and art gallery, office space, retail, restaurants and a place of reflection to honour residential and day school Survivors and the children who did not make it home.

This year’s World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 45 winners, 216 finalists, and more than 300 honourable mentions—with health, climate, energy, and AI among the most popular categories. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,200 entries across urban design, education, nature, politics, technology, corporate social responsibility, and more. The 2023 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Italy to Singapore to New Zealand.

“The Southern Chiefs’ Organization is pleased the Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn project is
recognized as a World Changing Idea,” stated SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. “Our
relationship with the Hudson’s Bay Company has enabled the Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn project to come to life. This project is going to empower and positively impact the lives of countless numbers of citizens in Manitoba and in Canada. It will be a gathering and healing space for First Nations citizens, as it sheds light on the need for concrete, bold steps towards reconciliation.”

“When we began this journey with Southern Chiefs’ Organization, we hoped it would signal to corporate Canada the opportunity and responsibility we all have to advance reconciliation,” says Richard Baker, Governor, Executive Chairman and CEO of HBC. “We are honoured to receive this recognition and hope this spotlight helps to build relationships and create change.”

“It’s thrilling to see the creativity and innovation that are so abundant among this year’s honorees,” says Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “While it’s easy to feel discouraged by the state of the world, the entrepreneurs, companies, and nonprofits featured in this package show the limitless potential to address society’s most urgent problems. Our journalists have highlighted some of the most exciting and impactful work being done today—from housing to equity to sustainability—and we look forward to seeing not only how these projects evolve but how they inspire others to develop solutions of their own.”

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About SCO

The Southern Chiefs’ Organization represents 34 First Nations and more than 83,000 citizens in what is now called southern Manitoba. SCO is an independent political organization that protects, preserves, promotes, and enhances First Nations peoples’ inherent rights, languages, customs, and traditions through the application and implementation of the spirit and intent of the Treaty-making process.

About HBC
HBC is a holding company of investments and businesses at the intersection of technology, retail operations, and real estate. It is the majority owner of iconic e-commerce companies: Saks, a leading online destination for luxury fashion; The Bay, a Canadian e-commerce marketplace; and Saks OFF 5TH, a premier luxury off-price e-commerce company offering top brands at the best prices. These businesses were established as separate operating companies in 2021. HBC also wholly owns Hudson’s Bay, the operating company for Hudson’s Bay’s brick-and-mortar stores, as well as SFA, the entity that operates Saks Fifth Avenue’s physical locations, and O5, the operating company for Saks OFF 5TH stores.

With assets spanning top markets and prime locations across North America, HBC owns or controls—either entirely or with joint venture partners—approximately 42 million square feet of gross leasable area. HBC Properties and Investments, the company’s real estate and investments portfolio business manages these assets along with additional real estate offerings, including Streetworks Development, its property development division.

Founded in 1670, HBC is North America’s longest continually operating company and is headquartered in New York and Toronto. For more information visit: www.hbc.com.

About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.

Media inquiries:
Southern Chiefs’ Organization
Media@scoinc.mb.ca

Tiffany Bourré
tiffany.bourre@hbc.com
DVP | Communications, PR and Heritage
Hudson’s Bay

On a sunny day last month, a group of about 30 people toured the Nanticoke Solar facility, a 44-megawatt project built on the former site of what was Ontario’s biggest coal-fired plant before it was decommissioned in 2013.

Beyond the symbolism of solar panels on the shores of Lake Erie, on a site once dominated by two looming coal stacks, the tour marked another shift: the growing role of Indigenous peoples in Canada’s renewable energy landscape.

Nanticoke Solar, in production since 2019, is a commercial partnership between Ontario Power Generation and Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corp., which has a 15-per-cent interest, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, which owns 5 per cent. The solar plant is one of several Indigenous partnerships at OPG, which signed its first such agreement, for a hydropower plant with the Lac Seul First Nation, in 2009.

The tour group was co-ordinated through 20/20 Catalysts, a three-month program that links industry mentors with First Nations, Inuit and Métis participants, aiming to provide them with knowledge they can put toward renewable energy projects in their home communities or parlay into jobs or other opportunities in the energy sector.

The Nanticoke stop, which featured flocks of sheep used for weed control, came on the Ontario leg of this year’s Catalysts program. It also included site visits in Kelowna, B.C., and Iqaluit, Nunavut, and is run by Indigenous Clean Energy, an Ottawa-based non-profit. About 100 people have gone through the program, which is currently lining up its sixth group of participants.

Matt Jamieson is president and chief executive of Six Nations of Grand River Development Corp., and he spoke to the Catalyst participants before they toured the Nanticoke facility. For him, such mentoring is as much a part of his job as crunching the numbers for new investments.

“If there’s an opportunity for us to showcase what we’ve done, and to provide an opportunity for others to learn from – we’re all in,” said Mr. Jamieson, who is a member of the Tuscarora Nation.

That enthusiasm is line with industry trends. The number of mid- to large-sized Indigenous renewable energy projects grew by nearly 30 per cent from 2017 to 2020, according to a 2020 report by Indigenous Clean Energy. With the push toward net-zero targets, that momentum is expected to increase.

Other factors are also nudging the needle toward Indigenous equity stakes and participation, including Recommendation 92 of Canada’s 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The recommendation calls on corporate Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a “reconciliation framework.”

The Six Nations development corporation is part of that evolving picture. Officially launched in 2015, it is a stand-alone corporation, designed to separate business from politics, with a mandate to generate revenue the community can use for needs including health care, education and infrastructure.

Those needs are significant. The infrastructure gap between Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous ones – what it would cost to bring services in line with those available in most municipalities – has been estimated as being as high as $30-billion. In Six Nations, estimates of the cost to connect all households to a central water system range as high as $200-million. (A new water treatment plant opened in 2014, but it is connected only to some buildings and homes in a central area; most households rely on water trucked to their homes.)

Six Nations of the Grand River are the most populous First Nation in Canada, with about 30,000 members, of whom 12,000 live on a reserve that spans about 180 square kilometres.

That’s only about 5 per cent of the lands granted to the Six Nations of the Grand River in the Haldimand Proclamation, an 18th-century decree that set aside a tract of land to the Six Nations in recognition of their support of British forces during the American Revolution. The area is subject to multiple land claims and a court claim filed by the Six Nations elected council against the governments of Canada and Ontario.

With those issues unresolved and potential settlements likely years away, the Six Nations development corporation has focused on generating income in the short term. It has stakes in a transmission line, wind and solar projects, and a 50-per-cent stake in the proposed Oneida Energy Storage Project, a 250-megawatt battery storage facility intended to store renewable energy so it can be used when power demand spikes.

The group’s partner in the Oneida project is Toronto-based NRStor Inc., which has built several small energy storage projects and now wants to roll out the technology on a larger scale. NRStor works with Indigenous partners from the outset of any project, said chief development officer Jason Rioux.

“It makes sense for us, it makes sense for our Indigenous partner and I think it makes sense in setting an example across Canada for more projects to come,” he said.

According to Six Nation development corporation reports, the group has generated more than $110-million in direct economic impact for the Six Nations community since 2015.

Indigenous communities are also eyeing opportunities in the hydrogen sector. The Canadian and German governments in August signed a deal to co-operate on exporting hydrogen fuel to Europe, with a target of 2025 to begin shipments from Eastern Canada.

The Six Nations development corporation is talking to a prospective partner about green hydrogen, but the financial feasibility of such a project has yet to be confirmed, Mr. Jamieson said, adding that any new ventures would need community support.

“What we do as a development corporation is pursue a future that fits within our values, to create something. So that our future generations can look back and and say, ‘Wow, we didn’t have to wait for a court ruling. We don’t have to wait for a transfer payment. We stepped up, asserted our interests, got organized and conducted business, and did a good job of it.’ That’s really the goal.”

The Bank of Canada announced today it has officially begun a one-year term as chair of the Central Bank Network for Indigenous Inclusion (CBNII). The Network also plans a bi-annual Symposium on Indigenous Economies. The first symposium was hosted by the Bank of Canada in November 2021, in partnership with the Tulo Centre of Indigenous Economics and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

In 2021, under the leadership of the RBNZ, the Network focused on building awareness of members’ respective economic and Indigenous histories.“As the Bank of Canada assumes the role of chair, we have an important opportunity to support the growth and evolution of the network, and to deepen both the relations that have been developed and our understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the Indigenous Economy,” said Deputy Governor Lawrence Schembri. “We look forward to building upon the sterling work done by Te Pūtea Matua, which served as the Network’s inaugural chair in 2021.”

Fashion – Victoria Kakuktinniq spearheads Project Atigi’s third installation inspired by her people her land and her roots. Rooted in Canada Goose’s HUMANATURE, Project Atigi—a collaborative undertaking aptly named with the Inuktitut word for parka—is back for the third year in a row. 2022’s installation of Project Atigi is especially exciting with the launch of the first-ever limited-edition women’s capsule created in collaboration with Canadian-Inuk designer, Victoria Kakuktinniq, honouring the legacy and traditions of Inuit design in Canada’s North.

I’ve always wanted to be a part of this project because it was developed to create social entrepreneurship opportunities for Inuit designers by leveraging Canada Goose’s global platform and showcasing Inuit craftsmanship and unique designs. In addition, all the proceeds will go to the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), a national organization that advocates for the rights and interests of Inuit in Canada. Project Atigi really does celebrate my heritage, my community and my craft. It’s so inspiring and motivating.

What advice do you have for younger generation designers?

Lean on your community. Know that who you are and where you come from. Know that how you were raised is your strength, not your weakness. Be proud, be proud to be Inuk, know what it means to live on the land, and have the skills of your ancestors running through you in everything you do. Do not let the past failings of our Government or the traumas of our past define your future. Take whatever inspires you and build upon it, and work within the community to support and build capacity in the things you are passionate about. This is how the future can be bright.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) – On behalf of the Department of National Defence, PSPC awarded a contract to Nasittuq Corporation, an Inuit-owned company, for the operation and maintenance of the North Warning System (NWS). The NWS is a radar system consisting of a chain of remotely operated radar stations in the Arctic, which provides aerospace surveillance of Canada’s and the United States’ northern approaches. As the effects of climate change make the Arctic more navigable for everyone, and as a strong partner in NORAD, we must maintain and improve our ability to monitor activities in Canada’s North, which enable us to take action when needed.

This new contract is for an initial period of seven years, and is valued at $592 million ($527 million before taxes). The contract also includes four two-year option periods for a total estimated value of $1.3 billion ($1.1 billion before taxes).

Under the contract, Nasittuq will be responsible for preventative and corrective maintenance for the NWS, and ensuring that NWS radar data is always available in support of NORAD and DND/CAF operations. This includes full logistics support, infrastructure and environmental stewardship, engineering and life cycle material management, and general program and project management.

Global Affairs Canada – The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, announced Canada’s endorsement of the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement (IPETCA).

IPETCA was developed in close cooperation with Indigenous peoples in Canada through Global Affairs Canada’s Indigenous Working Group on Trade Policy and is open for other economies to join. IPETCA acknowledges the importance of enhancing the ability of Indigenous peoples and Indigenous businesses to benefit from the opportunities created by international trade and investment. As a cooperation-based and voluntary instrument, IPETCA establishes a framework for facilitating cooperation between participating economies in order to identify and remove barriers to Indigenous peoples’ economic empowerment and participation in trade. It comprises provisions on responsible business conduct, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions.

The agreement also includes a provision whereby participating economies acknowledge that it is inappropriate to weaken or reduce protections for Indigenous peoples in order to attract trade or investment. Indigenous representatives from each participating economy will be involved in the implementation and operation of IPETCA alongside government officials.

Symposium on Indigenous Economies:

Tiff Macklem, Governor of Bank of Canada: One of the main goals of the Central Bank Network for Indigenous Inclusion is to recognize the shared history of colonialism in our countries, and to work together to acknowledge and address some historical wrongs… Over the next two days, we’ll take a historical look at Indigenous economies, and we’ll consider various aspects of present-day economies. This includes access to capital, resource development, and Indigenous businesses and labour markets. We’ll also talk about the impacts that policies throughout history have had on current-day inequalities.

Part of this includes economic reconciliation, which relates to our mandate as Canada’s central bank. Fundamentally, it’s our job to promote the economic and financial welfare of our country and all peoples within it. The report encourages organizations to apply reconciliation principles, norms and standards to their policies and operational activities. This speaks directly to one of the goals shared by all of us at this symposium: making our workplaces and policies more inclusive. That means eliminating long-standing barriers and ensuring that all voices are heard. Because when we listen to more diverse voices, we have a greater understanding of how our policies affect all Canadians. This helps us make better decisions.

The report also calls for meaningful consultations with Indigenous peoples and communities on economic development and equitable access to jobs, training and education. As Canada’s central bank, we play an important role in creating the conditions for opportunity for Canadians. And this must include meaningful opportunities for Indigenous peoples within Canada. Together, we’ll define what reconciliation means for the work of the Bank of Canada—toward a more inclusive and prosperous economy for everyone.

April 13, 2021 – The IGF is Canada’s newest and largest Indigenous social impact fund and will be under the management of the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA).

The Fund’s lead investors are the Government of Canada and Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), with further commitments from Export Development Canada (EDC) and Farm Credit Canada (FCC). BDC’s partnership with NACCA has been integral in bringing the Fund to fruition leading negotiations on behalf of the federal government and other investing Crown corporations and supporting NACCA with additional resources.
The IGF will enable Indigenous entrepreneurs throughout Canada to receive the capital they require to start or expand their businesses through the Aboriginal Financial Institution (AFI) that serves them. AFIs will access the IGF for capital to build on their 30-year track record of lending to Indigenous-led small and medium-sized businesses.
The Fund will be operational and capital will begin to be deployed to AFIs later in 2021. Once fully utilized, the Fund will increase AFI lending by $75M annually with loans to roughly 500 businesses.

Indigenous economic development is a critical aspect of reconciliation in Canada. Since the early 1980s, the developmental lending programs offered by AFIs have supported Indigenous communities and their members by creating opportunities from within. Where a lack of capital has long been the most significant barrier to Indigenous people seeking to start up or expand their businesses, the loan programs the AFI network supported by NACCA stimulate the emergence of Indigenous-led Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Whether owned by communities or individuals, Indigenous-led SMEs contribute to the economic self-determination of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples. Representing more than simply job creation for Indigenous peoples, these SMEs are the heart of development in communities. Ultimately, these SMEs provide the promise of a better future for business owners and their families, and a motivating environment for other community members – who benefit both from their examples and from the goods and services they offer. Most successful Indigenous-led enterprises start by entrepreneurs addressing local needs. These businesses also contribute to their regional economies and bring positive impacts to Canada as a whole.
https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2021/11/remarks-tiff-macklem-and-lawrence-schembri-november-29-2021/

Tulo Centre for Indigenous Economics and First Nations Tax Commission

NationTalk – Bank of Canada, Te Putea Matua (Reserve Bank of New Zealand) and the Reserve Bank of Australia, along with Indigenous partners – Tulo Centre for Indigenous Economics and First Nations Tax Commission – have formed a voluntary network to foster ingoing dialogue and raise awareness of Indigenous economic and financial issues. The Central Bank Network for Indigenous Inclusion, established January , 2021, aims to share knowledge and best practices, promote engagement with Indigenous Peoples, and foster greater understanding and education about Indigenous economic issues and histories.

The network will focus on:

• Conducting research for and with Indigenous peoples on economic issues, including the development of best practices, such as using Indigenous data respectfully
• Building cultural awareness, recruitment practices and other aspects of corporate culture to foster Indigenous inclusion within member organizations
• Strengthening engagement practices with Indigenous groups and communities
• Supporting economic and financial education for and about Indigenous peoples

In addition, the network will plan a recurring Central Bank Symposium on Indigenous Economics. The first symposium will be hosted by the Bank of Canada in late 2021.
The Central Bank Network for Indigenous Inclusion will serve as a community of practice and will not aim to set or take policy positions.

“The Bank of Canada wants to better understand the Indigenous economy and the obstacles and opportunities that Canada’s Indigenous People’s face.” Governor Tiff Mackem said “Our membership in this network provides us with an invaluable opportunity to learn from each other, to forge stronger bonds with Indigenous communities and contribute to making our workplaces and policies more inclusive.”

Québec City –The agreement concluded provides for the signing of a 30-year contract to purchase the electricity that will be produced by the Apuiat wind farm. The contract between Hydro-Québec Production and Parc éolien Apuiat S.E.C., a company jointly held by the Innu communities and Boralex, provides for the electricity to be bought at a cost of about 6¢/kWh. Apuiat becomes the wind farm offering the most competitive cost of all wind farms under contract in Québec.

The word “Apuiat” in Innu Aimun, means a paddle, a symbol of moving forward together in the same direction. The wind farm, of approximately 200 MW, will be built on the traditional territory (Nitassinan) of the Uashat mak Mani-utenam First Nation and on public lands in the City of Port-Cartier in the Côte-Nord Region.
The Innu communities and Boralex are 50-50 partners in the project. The partners will equally share the profits generated by the sale of electricity throughout the life of the project.

Apuiat is the result of an Innu idea, a desire to build collective wealth. For the first time, across our nation, we are the master builders of a large project of benefit to the Innu and to Quebecers. This project will help us enter into a dialogue and build interdependence, instead of maintaining dependency. The road toward reconciliation must involve economic inclusion of the First Nations and the creation of opportunities for current and future generations. This also means rebuilding a government-to-government relationship, on a nation-to- nation basis. History is taking place right before our eyes; we are writing it together: the Innu, the people of the Côte-Nord Region and Quebecers.” Mike Mckenzie, Chief of the Innu Community of Uashat mak Mani-utenam

“Apuiat is more than just a wind farm. It involves 30 years of revenues for our communities, and a breeze of fresh air for the economy of the Côte-Nord Region. This is also an opportunity for each of our communities to invest autonomously in its own priorities. The Innu have the potential and the willingness to participate in Québec’s economic development, and we have much to offer. Although Apuiat is our first national project, it will certainly not be the last.”

Martin Dufour, Chief of the Innu Essipit Band Council

Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business – Release of “Insights into Indigenous Post-Secondary Graduates Experiences in the Canadian Workforce”

The objective of this report is to develop a better understanding of how Indigenous post-secondary experiences are associated with entrepreneurship, working for Indigenous employers and overall labour market outcomes. In order to explore these relationships, we retrieved and analyzed data from Indspire’s 2020 National Education Survey (NES) of Building Brighter Futures: Bursaries, Scholarships, and Awards (BBF) recipients, as well as Statistics Canada’s Census of Population (2016).

Using data from the NES survey, we review the characteristics of BBF recipients who go on to be employed by Indigenous employers, that is, Indigenous businesses, organizations and governments, and those who go on to self-employment. We present key findings relating to their post-secondary and employment experiences, as well as differences between self- employed BBF recipients and those employed by Indigenous and non-Indigenous employers. Additionally, we use survey data to determine the geographic outcomes of BBF recipients — whether they were required to relocate for work, and if they work in an Indigenous community.

“Indigenous youth are the fastest growing demographic in Canada and a key part of Canada’s current and future workforce,” said Tabatha Bull, President and CEO, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. “This report is a first step in the conversation about how to attract, retain, and support this important demographic in all Canadian workplaces.”

Findings:

• BBF recipients who work for Indigenous employers in Ontario report being more satisfied with their current employment than those working with non-Indigenous employers.
• On average, they more strongly agree that they feel valued at work, are satisfied with their current employment, that they work the desired number of hours, and that their workplace encourages a healthy work-life balance.
• Approximately 35% of BBF recipients report working for an Indigenous employer.
• A full three-quarters (75%) of BBF recipients employed by an Indigenous employer find suitable work in an Indigenous community. BBF recipients are more likely to be self-employed than Indigenous workers in the same age cohort.
• Self-employed BBF recipients are more concentrated in the health care and social assistance, educational services, construction, and real estate rental and leasing sectors than in the broader Indigenous population.

https://www.ccab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CCAB-Indspire-AODA_English3_FINAL-SEP3.pdf

Release of “Indigenous Economic Reconciliation: Recommendations on Reconciliation and Inclusive Economic Growth for Indigenous Peoples and Canada” report, which provides an overview and thorough analysis of the ideas and recommendations heard during the Expanding the Circle forums:

• First Nations (Feb. 15, 2017)
• Métis (Nov. 8, 2017) and
• Inuit (Nov. 29, 2018)

The first part focuses on four key recommendations based on common themes and issues raised during the three forums:

• Procurement: establish a comprehensive and easy to access directory of Indigenous businesses (similar to Australia’s Supply Nation), and provide meaningful funding to Indigenous businesses to increase awareness and readiness for procurement opportunities.
• Access to capital: adequately fund Aboriginal Financial Institutions (AFIs), provide AFIs loan loss protections, and devolve economic development programming to AFIs.
• Capacity development: put in place incentives, including funding, internships and scholarships to increase Indigenous participation in business training and certification; and encourage post-secondary education institutions to increase access to these programs for Indigenous learners.
• Wealth sharing: implement strategies and innovative options to increase equity positions and involvement of Indigenous peoples in resource development, and to support growth of traditional economies and participation in environmental stewardship.

The Board anticipates hosting three follow-up forums in 2022, as well as a follow-up report on economic reconciliation will be released in 2023 which will include data from the 2022 NIEDB Indigenous Economic Progress Report. The Board will use these tools to track, monitor, and assess the state of economic reconciliation in Canada.
http://www.naedb-cndea.com/reports/NIEDB – Economic Reconciliation – Final Report.pdf