Insights
Practical thinking on First Nations economic development, Indigenous joint ventures, and the structural work of keeping value in communities.
Economic Migration in First Nations: How Value Leaves and How to Keep It Home
When an outside contractor wins a contract on First Nations territory, or when a federal program funds a service delivered by a non-Indigenous firm, value flows out of the Nation and rarely flows back. Over time, that outflow compounds. This piece defines economic migration in the First Nations context, explains how it shows up structurally, and outlines the strategic responses that work.
What Chiefs and Councils Actually Look For: How First Nations Communities Decide to Bring in Outside Help
Six observations about how the buying decision actually works in this market — trust precedes scope, the unspoken question about control, the time-flexibility of consensus decision-making, and more. Useful for both First Nations leaders thinking about engaging consultants and industry partners trying to engage First Nations.
Indigenous Joint Ventures: What Makes Some Work and Most Fail
A practical piece on the structural elements of well-designed Indigenous joint ventures — equity structure, governance, decision rights, exit provisions, value capture, capacity building components, and the specific mistakes that doom most joint ventures early. Draws on field literature and direct experience.
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