Welcome to Shared Value Solutions' biweekly funding and news digest. We hope it finds you well on this eve of National Indigenous People's Day. In honour of the day, SVS's offices will be closed.
Usually, we greet National Indigenous History Month with excitement as we celebrate the resilience of Indigenous Peoples, and share all of the amazing and inspiring things going on across Turtle Island. We will continue to share that brilliance. However, given the discovery of 215 precious souls at the former residential school in Kamloops, we must speak to the historic and ongoing treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada and beyond. Read more about the posts in our new series, #TRCTuesdays, in our Reconciliation Circle Update. Today's particular focus is on Call to Action #92: Economic Reconciliation, with our latest blog: Making the Links: ESG+I, Indigenous Nations, and the Canadian Economy.
In SVS News, we welcome our newest board member, Brittanee Laverdure, and one of our newest team members, social researcher Claire Avisar. We also share the second post in our IndigeSTEAM Careers series. Also, please check out our latest job postings, and share widely with your network. We share our usual inspiring stories from across Turtle Island, as well as our usual round up of funding opportunities for you to check out. Stay well, everyone!
New Series: #TRC Tuesdays
We’ve have been having some incredible conversations with our clients, industry representatives and partners advancing Indigenous interests in ESG since the release of our ‘Putting the ‘I’ in ESG primer overview blog, our Indigenomics Book Review, and the First Nations Major Project Coalition’s Sustainable Investment Conference. The speed at which the corporate world is factoring these concepts into how they run their businesses is increasing exponentially. At the same time, SVS has been diving deep into an evaluation of our own commitment to Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. We offer this contribution to the conversation as part of our commitment to furthering economic reconciliation, and hope you find it useful.
New Post in IndigeSTEAM Careers Series:
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Welcome to the next post in our series that celebrates Indigenous professionals with careers in STEAM! SVS is committed to supporting Indigenous youth who are pursuing careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, math, and the arts, architecture and agriculture - all areas that Indigenous peoples have been innovators in for thousands of years, as described by IndigeSTEAM. We support through our scholarship program (with Indspire as well as others), but also through the mentorship and inspiration of our staff members.
Ali G, as we affectionately call her, is a long-term supporter of encouraging youth in STEAM. She volunteers as a mentor for environmental science students at the University of Guelph, has previously participated in career fairs and high school events to encourage youth to pursue STEAM careers, and is an advocate for women and minority groups in science.
Meet
Alison Gamble, M.ES., C.Chem
Environmental Scientist, Shared Value Solutions
"My parents made sure to teach me the important role that each of us play in caring for the Earth, by demonstrating responsible behaviour and always encouraging me to do my part...Little did I know at the time that all of these experiences and lessons, and the connection to my Métis ancestry, would eventually be such an important part of my career journey."
Indigenous Funding Programs
Here are some opportunities to check out:
New: IESO "Energy Support Programs" Funding Open
The 2021 Application intake period for the Energy Support Programs is now open. These programs will be open for intake until 11:59 p.m. EDT on August 6, 2021. Please see the program web pages for all program documents.
Programs open for Application:
- Community Energy Champion
- Education and Capacity Building Program
- Indigenous Community Energy Plan Program
- Indigenous Energy Projects Program
Wage Subsidy for Sustainability-focused Youth Employment
"Through our Green Jobs in Green Spaces Program, Project Learning Tree Canada can provide a 50% wage-subsidy to support sustainability-focused youth employment in the forest and conservation sectors.
Funding for Mineral Development Advisor
MENDM has funding available for Indigenous communities to hire a mineral development advisor for a period of three years (with maximum funding of up to $130,000 per year), to assist in the regulatory consultation process. Applications are accepted on an on-going basis.
Funding for Culturally Appropriate Mental Health and Addictions Services
The Ontario government is investing over $12.8 million to immediately expand and enhance culturally appropriate mental health and addictions services for Indigenous peoples, families and communities across the province. This funding is part of the $176 million being invested in the government's mental health and addictions plan, Roadmap to Wellness. The plan is delivering high-quality care and building a modern, connected and comprehensive mental health and addictions system.
Opportunities Round-up:
- The Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) annual report on species assessments are available. The MECP now has until January 27, 2022 to amend the Species at Risk in Ontario List (SARO) to include the new listings based on the assessment. The report has identified 15 species that should be added to the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) list including 7 new endangered species, 7 new threatened species, and 1 new Special Concern species.
- The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is reviewing a request to conduct a regional assessment of the impacts of proposed coal developments and exploratory activity in southwest Alberta.
- The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is reviewing a request to conduct a regional assessment of an interprovincial energy corridor, extending from east-central Alberta to northern Manitoba with associated marine shipping.
- CRE's Centre for Indigenous Policy and Research has launched a second round of Indigenous youth research grants.
SVS eBooks for Download: Collect them all!
Check out our collection of informative eBooks that are available for free download:
- Channeling the Wisdom of Indigenous Knowledge
- Pandemic-Inspired Research Innovations
- Indigenous Planning Cheat Sheet
- Indigenous Business and the Resource Sector
- Indigenous Planning Starter Kit
- Indigenous Guardians and Development
Download our eBooks here
Still Available: Free Emergency Consultation Department Support During COVID-19 from SVS
First Nations are reporting that, even in the midst of a pandemic that has many band offices closed, resource development proponents continue to send referrals to move projects forward. We have ideas on how to support. Get in touch.
SVS News
SVS welcomes our newest Board member, Brittanee Laverdure!
As a Regional Vice President on RBC’s Indigenous Wealth team, Brittanee manages a variety of relationships with Indigenous clients throughout British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. She is responsible for the engagement and administration of a wide range of Indigenous Trusts, including providing ongoing reporting, training and support to clients at the community level.
Brittanee has a Bachelor of Arts in International Indigenous Studies and a Bachelor of Law, which included a placement at the UBC First Nation Legal Clinic operating out of the Vancouver Downtown Eastside serving the marginalized Indigenous population in the area. She is a member of the Law Society, the National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association (NATOA), and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
Brittanee is a former international athlete, representing Canada around the globe in the sport of Freestyle Wrestling for over 10 years, including attending the 2008 Beijing Games as a training partner for Team Canada. Her achievements include a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, a medal at the World Championship, World SportAccord Champion, World University Champion, and a two-time Olympic Alternate for Canada.
Raised in the small remote community of Watson Lake, Yukon, Brittanee is a member of the Wolf Clan of the Kaska Dena Nation (Liard First Nation). She volunteers for the Calgary Legal Guidance and Pro Bono Law Alberta and serves as a volunteer board member for the Dena Kayeh Institute.
SVS welcomes our newest team member, Claire Avisar!
Claire is a passionate storyteller and socio-cultural anthropologist with a background in social research, campaign development, community engagement - and a penchant for political advocacy.
Claire holds a master’s degree in socio-cultural anthropology from the University of Toronto. Her thesis, The Museum is the Message: Museums, Media, and Multiculturalism in Canada, focused on the history of the Canadian museum as a settler-colonial nation-building tool. In it she explores the extent to which the museum has been used by Indigenous Nations in Canada as a mode of political and cultural resistance.
Working as a tutor at Kanhanwake Survival School during her undergraduate degree ignited Claire’s interest in working with Indigenous Knowledge. Having grown up in a multicultural household, she grew interested in fostering cross-cultural communications and collaboration in Canada.
Outside of work, Claire enjoys poetry, plant-based nutrition and cooking, and will always make a museum her first stop in a new city. Meet Claire here: https://sharedvaluesolutions.com/claire-avisar/
SVS is Hiring!
From coast to coast to coast, our team at Shared Value Solutions is busy working with our First Nations, Métis and Inuit clients - and we are looking to fill the following position:
In the spirit of reconciliation and diversity, we are committed to increasing our number of Indigenous employees. Please let us know in your application if you are First Nations, Métis or Inuit. And please let us know if you speak: French, Cree, Ojibway, Oji-Cree, Innu, or other languages that might be useful for this position! Please share these posts widely with your networks.
Reconciliation Circle Update
SVS's Reconciliation Circle was born out of our commitment to the TRC Calls to Action. As a company, Call to Action #92 is a place we can directly put our efforts. We see it as a place we can influence the culture and operations within our company and hopefully influence other companies with our examples. We are a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous professionals who have seen and learned much on our journeys – and acknowledge we have so much more to learn and to know.
Starting this month, we are sharing what we are learning about the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports, as well as other actions we and others are taking to promote reconciliation.
Here are links to our first three posts in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (#TrcTuesday) series:
- Facing the Truth: Missing Children and Unmarked Burials
- SVS Reconciliation Circle Bingo
- Making the Links: ESG Performance, Indigenous Nations, and the Canadian Economy
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About Us: Shared Value Solutions
We are a Canadian B Corp, and we assist Indigenous Nations with support throughout regulatory processes surrounding major development projects like mines, hydroelectric facilities, transmission lines, highway expansions, oil and gas pipelines, natural resource transport applications and nuclear power.
We have deep context and experience behind the recommendations we provide, having worked for our clients on almost every major project in Canada over the last 10 years. For us, it’s all about building long-term relationships with our clients. We want to get to know you and what you want to do so we can help you move your plans forward.
Core Services:
- Impact Benefit Agreement Negotiation Support
- Technical Reviews and Regulatory Process Support
- Community and Economic Development Planning
- Indigenous Knowledge and Land Use Studies
- Environmental Monitoring
- Guardians Program Development
- Climate Change Readiness
- GIS and Mapping
- and a whole lot more...www.sharedvaluesolutions.com