All major industrial projects requiring government approval will have an impact on one or more Indigenous groups in one shape or another. The degree to which impact may be felt, both positive and negative, will vary from project to project and it takes some doing to get to a point where all parties are satisfied that impacts have been dealt with so that the projects can proceed to completion. Indigenous Advantage Inc. can help Indigenous groups to identify socio-economic issues, concerns and measures associated with major project impacts and navigate their way through complex negotiations to derive positive socio-economic benefits and mitigate negative impacts on their way of life, lands and environment. We can also assist Indigenous communities to gear up to be able to maximize their socio-economic participation, leave less on the table and strengthen their overall capacity to benefit from future participation in future projects.
Indigenous Advantage Inc. consultants can perform the following services for Indigenous groups where major industrial projects are potentially going to impact their communities and traditional territories:
Pre-Project Approval
• Help with reviewing initial project information to determine what potential impacts are likely to exist, especially where a community is new to major industrial project development in their region;
• Help with preparing for project consultations, including having at the ready your own consultation and engagement protocol agreements to exchange with industry;
• Help with negotiating impact benefit agreements (IBAs), including the development of your own impact benefit agreement templates to exchange with industry;
• Help with sourcing your own environmental expertise to aid you in conducting your own assessments of project related environmental impacts, including helping you in your reviewing of environmental studies done by project proponents;
• Help with sourcing your own consultants to perform your own indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK) land use studies to support your assessments of potential impacts;
• Help with reviewing proponents’ applications for project approval, which can consist of thousands of pages of information, much of it highly technical in nature;
• Help with preparing your community’s Information Requests (IRs) to regulatory review boards in response to your review of proponent applications during the project approval process;
• Help with preparing for your written and oral submissions to regulatory review boards in support of your assessments of potential impacts.
Pre-Construction
• Help with your project proponent socio-economic engagement to maximize your community’s participation in proponents proposed or approved projects, including, where appropriate, negotiating equity participation, profit sharing, education and training contributions, procurement term sheets, etc.;
• Help with reviewing the education, training and employment opportunities associated with major industrial projects identified for your region.
• Help with performing your own labour market assessments and developing you labour market strategies to prepare your community members for project related education, training and employment opportunities;
• Help with sourcing your own skills development and training service providers to meet your needs and budget;
• Help with assessing your businesses and matching them to project related procurement opportunities;
• Help with devising your business strategies to better position your community’s businesses for project related procurement opportunities.
• Help with preparing your individual businesses for project related procurement opportunities; including helping them to understand project proponents’ prequalification requirements and processes and their request for proposal (RFP) requirements, as well as understand how major projects rely upon many suppliers working in sync with each other in line with a master plan and schedule.
• Help with developing new businesses that can position your community to take advantage of project related procurement opportunities, including helping you to establish a fit-for-purpose corporation, find a strategic partner to invest in or form a joint venture partnership.
Construction
• Help with maintaining your positive relationships with project proponents and their prime contractors to ensure that all project related goals and objectives are achieved with maximum socio-economic benefits flowing to your community, its members and businesses, including help with solving problems before and as they arise;
• Help with assessing how well project proponents are living up to their socio-economic commitments made during the project approval process and specific agreements made with your community and your community’s members and businesses.
Post Construction
• Help with preparing your community to take advantage of any operational opportunities associated with major projects in your region, including education, skills development, training and procurement opportunities.
• Help with identifying your community’s long-term sustainability goals and objectives and how major projects operating in your region can continue to support your community and its future as good neighbours.