First Nations | In the News | Marten Falls | Webequie
Indigenous-led EAs are on the horizon

Originally published in The Northern Miner

October 28, 2022
At the recent Indigenous Led Projects Forum in Toronto in late September — the first event of its kind — co-host Michael Fox shared some of the big changes that he’s seen in Canada’s Indigenous communities over his lifetime.

The 54-year-old said it wasn’t until the 1980s that an Indigenous family member owned a car —­­ a symbol of success. Later, the high water mark was the first Indigenous person he knew who owned their own house.

Fast forward to today, and Fox, the founder and president of consultancy Indigenous Community Engagement (ICE), and co-chair of PDAC’s Indigenous Affairs Committee, sees an entirely different level of economic possibility emerging.

“I think the new Indigenous ecosystem is about Indigenous-led environmental assessments, Indigenous-led projects, Indigenous-led economies,” he said.

Related Stories

The power of peat: Canada’s secret weapon against climate change

The power of peat: Canada’s secret weapon against climate change

Scientists call them Canada’s Amazon Rainforest, and they could be at risk. Peatlands are ancient ecosystems that cool the planet by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, trapping it deep underground. A quarter of peatlands on Earth are found here in Canada, but some are under threat from potential mining developments aimed at creating technology for a greener future.