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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.

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

Global Indigenous Trust

Our Vision

Our vision is a global network of healthy, vibrant, thriving communities and people, living their true potential.

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Instagram post 2222915360177633308_1434995279 "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
Instagram post 2196680917173575580_1434995279 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
Instagram post 2192333298057938637_1434995279 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
Instagram post 2172162447471980417_1434995279 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
Instagram post 2169965057050534042_1434995279 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. • Thank you to HudBay and @ccab_National for joining us with these Peruvian community leaders.
Instagram post 2166939078744899015_1434995279 CGEN Forum 2019: Bridging Worldview's to Build Healthy Communities by Centre for Global Engineering - University of Toronto was a huge success earlier this week! Thank you to all who came! GIDT is partnered with the Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN) @uoftengineering to help with high-impact research projects and initiatives for community development across the world, through the Reconciliation Through Engineering Initiative (RTEI), a new initiative at CGEN. RTEI seeks to bring together Indigenous knowledge and the expertise of faculty members at the University in the spirit of co-learning to address some of the most pressing infrastructure challenges faced by Indigenous communities across Canada. This event aimed at examining the significant opportunity for a harmonization between Traditional Knowledge and Western Science to produce holistic, long-term solutions to community and infrastructure development. Indigenous Peoples have been stewards of the land for thousands of years. As keepers and practitioners of Traditional Knowledge, they have adapted to naturally changing landscapes and environments with resilience and innovation. Today, many Indigenous communities across Canada face unique barriers to food security, clean water, suitable housing, healthcare as well as reliable energy, transportation and communications systems. At the same time, climate change exacerbates these challenges. The 2019 CGEN Forum, was an experiential journey towards building research collaborations grounded in sustainability, reciprocity and an understanding of Indigenous ways of communicating and knowing. Beginning with a traditional ceremony led by an Elder, there will be an exploration of Indigenous Peoples’ history on Turtle Island, the legacy of research partnerships with Indigenous communities, the strengths and teachings of Traditional Knowledge and a demonstration of its fundamental role within a collaborative research methodology. The event will feature guest talks and panelists including leading Indigenous researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators who are at the forefront of this Two-Eyed Seeing approach to science and engineering. #indigenousknowledge #2👀ing
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© 2020 Global Indigenous Development Trust

  • Who We Are
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
  • What We Do
    • Our Projects
    • Our Impact
    • Our Partners
    • Building a Nation Case Study
    • Events
    • In the Media
  • Work with Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
Global Indigenous Development Trust