Redefining Collaborative Development in Treaty 8 Territory

Jul. 12, 2023 at 11:06 a.m. PDT

Chief Trevor Makadahay has been Chief of Doig River First Nation since 2015. Since then, Doig River has demonstrated notable successes in governance, leadership, administration, and economic development. In 2017, Doig River was awarded the AFOA Canada Community Award of Excellence in part due to its exceptional financial performance ratios and low dependency on federal program funding and the establishment of their Economic Development Corporation Uujo Developments, a separate entity from the Nation’s administration.

Under Chief Makadahay’s leadership the community has completed its Treaty Land Entitlement Claim, established the first Urban Reserve in northeast British Columbia and will embark in a land code vote in June 2023. Chief Makadahay and his council are very committed to restoring and asserting Doig River’s jurisdiction over its lands for the benefit of its members.

Laureen Whyte is Principal Consultant of Arbutus Consulting, based in Vancouver. She is a social performance professional with over 25 years of experience as an executive, senior practitioner, project manager, and strategist.

Working primarily with First Nations and in the transportation, and natural resource sectors, Laureen specializes in land and resource use management, stakeholder and Indigenous engagement, consultation, and community economic development as well as in permitting, environmental assessment and regulatory strategy. She has negotiated several agreements between companies and First Nations at all stages of project development, and between provincial government and First Nations.

Laureen previously was Executive Director of Clean Energy BC, and Vice President of the Association for Mineral Exploration BC. She serves on the Board of Catalyste+, chairing the Indigenous and Northern Services Board Committee, on the Indigenous Affairs Committee of the Prospectors & Developers Association, and was founder and Chair of the BC Aboriginal Mine Training Association.

Participants:

Chief Trevor Makadahay, Doig River First Nation,

Councillor Starr Acko, Doig River First Nation,

Laureen Whyte, Principal, Arbutus Consulting (moderator), and

Kevin Emes, COO of Uujo Developments LP.

Tyson Pylypiw, Indigenous Relations Manager, Ovintiv (introducer).