Building a Nation: a Success Story

In 1985, 98% of the Tahltan First Nation in British Columbia was unemployed, with 80% on welfare. Education was poor and there was no access to basic infrastructure or clean drinking water.

When the Canadian government and industry planned resource development on Tahltan lands, the First Nation created a model to allow development on their terms.

Today, the Tahltan’s economic development corporation is valued at more than $25 million. The people enjoy high-quality education, full employment and full access to infrastructure and drinking water. There are successful traditional language and cultural heritage programs for the youth, social programs for women and single mothers and the strongest Native-owned environmental assessment team in Canada.

Today, the Tahltan are self-empowered decision-makers in how their lands and resources develop. Meanwhile, their partners enjoy the fruits of their successful ventures.

How Did They Do It?

The most important thing we did was to develop a strong vision for where we wanted to be in 20 years, a strategy of how we were going to get there, and a vehicle (the development corporation) to take us there.

Our vision was two fold: First, to eliminate unemployment in our Nation by developing our people along with our resources, and secondly, to bring Pride and Dignity back to our Nation, by not being beggars in our own Land. In order to achieve our vision, we built strong teams, negotiated good partnerships and reinvested everything back into our people. We knew that a strong economy was not the end goal, it was a means to an end.

The end goal was to create well-being and quality of life, in essence, a great future for all Tahltans.

– Jerry Asp, Founding President of the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation

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Join @manariushigua online this Friday for a collective healing from Traditional Healer and Shaman Manari Ushigua of the Sapara tribe from the #amazon! He will be working with medicinal plants from the Rainforest in ceremony via zoom! Click the link in his bio to join from wherever you are. #traditionalhealing #traditionalmedicine #planthealing #indigenousknowedge #indigenouswisdom #happyearthday🌎

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"If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you can be sure he had help getting up there." - Jerry Asp. We are so proud of our founder Jerry! As a prominent Aboriginal leader he has been fighting for the rights of Indigenous in Canada and abroad most importantly, in mining since he was a teen. Jerry's work was recognized last week through his induction to the Mining Hall of fame! Here is a video of his speech! It has incredible words that speak to teaching industry leaders that mining is not about profits or bottom lines. The purpose of mining is people and building communities that thrive!
Our founder Jerry Asp, a member of the Wolf Clan of the Tahltan First Nation, was nominated for the honour by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada for his lifelong commitment and support for the involvement of Aboriginal peoples in the mining sector.
“I am one of a small handful of Aboriginal inductees to be recognized and inducted. But I fully expect that to change because, over the course of my lengthy career, I have seen transformative change in the ability and capability of Aboriginal communities in Canada to achieve economic stability through participation in the mining sector and partnerships with mining corporations.”- Jerry Asp
Originally from Telegraph Creek, B.C., Jerry has called Whitehorse home for the past 10 years. Over the decades, he’s done everything from working diamond drills to chairing an organization dedicated to assisting Indigenous communities with economic development.
#economicdevelopment #selfdetermination #traditionalknowledge #aboriginalrights

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Was a great talk over breakfast yesterday to see 4 Indigenous leaders leading & innovating the way business is done in this country at the Toronto Region Board of Trade. Especially our board member Sean Willy! “We are no longer looking at projects as a consultation check box. We are looking at community projects as the key driver for economic development + innovation in this country. Leaders in Canada need to be visionaries. We cannot move forward without having Indigenous people involved on the land. We need to have ceremonies to get instructions + authorization on how to move forward. Economic reconciliation means ownership. How are we going to move forward together? “ Thank you @trsmryersonu for having us at your table! #economicreconciliation

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Here is just an update from Bogota, Colombia. Our Peacebuilder @bigmamacita was invited last month to Bogota, Columbia. To lead the Academic Agenda by the Petroleum Association of Colombia and the Canadian Colombian Embassy as a representative of @globalindigenoustrust , Canada and as a PhD Candidate. The purpose of her talk & panel was to discuss the challenges of increased social conflict and inequality in the resource sector. The title was Los Desafios del sector ante el creciente activism y conflictivad social en territorio: The Challenges of the sector amidst growing activism and social conflict in territories. As social conflicts increase in the oil and gas sector, the industry recognizes that it needs to change and adapt its practices. They were looking for academic insight from a Canadian to International perspective as to why social conflicts in the resource sector were increasing in the oil in gas sector. Though this may seem obvious. What are the causes, and how can government + industry respond to resolve these conflicts. What are recommendations we can make for positive community engagement and greater responsibilities + less human rights violations in the sector? We explored what social conflict is, how it can be understood in terms of inequality and causes, and how can industry engage differently with communities to work to resolve conflict, and innovate the industry towards partnership, responsibility and sustainability. Trying to work against polarization of viewpoints and towards dialogue and peaceful resolutions! 💜 Gracias de Colombia y ACP.
#ilcumbrepetroleoygas

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Friendly reminder on this snowy day to look deeper for the beauty, harmony and interconnections all around us. “See that blade grass, look at that tree, and everything you see. Everything on this Earth is alive and lives. It is you that has to live in harmony with that blade of grass. Please be careful where you step.” – Theresa Day #redxtalks Toronto

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Thank you @ccab_national for the post, and participating in our conversation last week about the up and coming Indigenous economy in Peru! A very great conversation indeed on their opportunities and challenges – and of course, great to hear from about what is happening with Aboriginal business in Canada.
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Thank you to HudBay and @ccab_National for joining us with these Peruvian community leaders.

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Building a Nation: a Success Story

In 1985, 98% of the Tahltan First Nation in British Columbia was unemployed, with 80% on welfare. Education was poor and there was no access to basic infrastructure or clean drinking water.

How Did They Do It?

Our Vision