The drawbacks of the government regulating Aboriginal and industry relationships

摘要

At this year's Learning Together conference in Vancouver, one of the presenters spoke of the increasing need for junior exploration and mining companies to build and strengthen solid relationships with regional Aboriginal communities. He referenced a recent incident that took place in the Ring of Fire where exploration was halted during a blockade by the First Nation communities of Webequie and Marten Falls as a result of poorly managed relationship building, and the flow of funding to these projects was stifled. He went on to say that Bay Street is finally starting to realize the importance for companies to nurture strong Aboriginal alliances and partnerships. Another of our presenters, Learning Together director Jack Blacksmith, focused on community engagement and corporate social responsibility. In short, these topics have never been more relevant.