Mark Jennings-Bates

Additions to Reserve: More Than Just Land When we talk about Additions to Reserve (ATR), the focus is often on land. But the real conversation should be about economic opportunity and self-determination. Every ATR process that successfully brings land back under First Nations jurisdiction creates a foundation for: - Local business development, retail, tourism, light industry, and community-owned enterprises - Tax revenue for the Nation, through property taxes, service agreements, or lease arrangements - Stronger community infrastructure, because revenue can be reinvested into housing, water systems, education, and health services - Jurisdictional control, First Nations can decide what development looks like on their terms This isn’t just about adding parcels of land to a map. It’s about restoring decision-making power and creating a sustainable base for future generations. Some Nations have leveraged ATR processes to create thriving business parks and service hubs, turning once underutilized land into engines of employment and own-source revenue. But ATR is a long, complex process. It takes years of negotiation and a clear community vision for how that land will be used. So here’s my question: - If your Nation has gone through an ATR, how has it impacted your community? - What advice would you give others trying to move through this process? Let’s share success stories so others can see what’s possible when land is returned, and communities lead the way. #AdditionsToReserve #EconomicReconciliation #ForFirstNationsByFirstNations #SelfDetermination #IndigenousEconomicDevelopment

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How Rent-a-Feathers skirt the rules: Paper majority, real minority: Share register shows 51% Indigenous ownership, but side deals (options, vetoes, shareholder loans) hand practical control over budgets, hiring, pricing, and strategy to the minority partner. Watch for “negative controls” that block anything that matters. Profit siphons: Preferred shares, padded “management/consulting” fees, or related-party subcontracts route most profit to the non-Indigenous partner, leaving thin margins in the Indigenous firm. Phantom JVs & pass-throughs: A “joint venture” bids on set-asides, then subcontracts most work to a non-Indigenous affiliate at inflated rates (back-to-back contracts). Shadow operations: Websites, trucks, staff, insurance, banking, and signatures all sit with the non-Indigenous company; the Indigenous “owner” has little day-to-day role. Control is who signs and schedules, not who’s on a certificate. Identity & directory gaming: Weak verification lets questionable claims or recycled résumés slip into Indigenous business directories until audits catch up. Timing the audits: Qualify to win, then change ownership/control post-award, betting reviews will be slow or shallow. Why this works (system gaps) - Ownership tests without real control tests. - Spotty post-award monitoring, so changes go unnoticed. - Vague benefit measures (who gets profits, wages, training, assets), so paper compliance hides leakage. Red flags you can spot: - Indigenous owner lacks signing authority, board majority, or daily oversight. - Heavy related-party fees/subcontracts to a non-Indigenous affiliate. - No Indigenous staff, training plan, or assets despite large contracts. - Shared address/IT with a non-Indigenous parent; equipment/insurance held elsewhere. - Sudden ownership changes pre-/post-award without operational logic. What “good” looks like: - Control you can see: Indigenous board majority, independent banking/signing authority, and final say on budgets, hiring, and pricing, documented in bylaws and resolutions. - Benefit flows: The majority of profits, wages, and asset-building (equipment, certifications) accrue to the Indigenous firm/people, verified quarterly. - Transparent JV terms: Caps on subcontracting, fair-market related-party rates, and a flip so the Indigenous share grows as capacity grows. - Open books & audits: Agree to third-party audits; publish plain-language summaries of who was consulted, who got hired, and what changed. - Directory integrity: Certification by Indigenous-led bodies and rapid removal of ineligible listings. Bottom line: “Rent-a-Feather” schemes rely on paper ownership, hidden control, and profit diversion. Stronger control tests, benefit tests, and post-award audits and insisting on community-defined outcomes, make them unworkable. Oversight and media scrutiny are already leading to removals and reforms but we need to do more.

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Gatekeeping in the Indigenous Construction Economy: Who Gave Them the Keys? One of the most frustrating realities I continue to face as an Indigenous business owner is the presence of non-Indigenous gatekeepers, consultants, large firms, and intermediaries who have somehow positioned themselves as the ones who decide: - Who gets to speak to leadership - Who gets access to projects - Who is “qualified enough” to serve Indigenous communities - Who is allowed to benefit from the Indigenous economy Time and time again, I find myself having to prove the value of Indigenous-led solutions to people who aren’t even from our communities, just to earn the chance to serve our own people. These gatekeepers stand between Indigenous SMEs and the very Nations we aim to support, often taking a cut along the way. How did this become the norm? Why do so many Indigenous organizations rely on outside firms to filter out their own innovators, builders, and leaders? It doesn’t have to be this way. We need to create new pathways that prioritize: - Direct access for Indigenous-owned businesses - Procurement policies that value lived experience and community-rooted knowledge - Transparency in how partnerships are chosen and who makes those decisions - Reduced reliance on third parties who profit off gatekeeping If we’re serious about economic reconciliation, then Indigenous people must be able to work with our communities, without outsiders deciding if we’re “ready” or “professional enough.” Let’s change the narrative. Let’s open the gates. #ZacharyKnightEnterprises #InspectorInABox #IndigenousProcurement #EconomicReconciliation #IndigenousConstruction #Gatekeepers

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The recent amendments introduced by Bill C-86 aim to provide First Nations with optional frameworks to assume greater control over their lands and resources. Participation in these frameworks is entirely voluntary, and there are no direct penalties—such as land loss or displacement—for communities that choose not to adopt them or are unable to meet the associated requirements. The primary intent is to offer opportunities for self-governance and economic development without imposing adverse consequences on non-participating communities. ​ It's crucial for each First Nation to assess its capacity and resources before opting into these frameworks to ensure they can effectively manage the responsibilities and opportunities that come with increased autonomy. Engaging in comprehensive community consultations and seeking appropriate support can aid in making informed decisions that align with the community's goals and well-being.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Diamonds is evolving Diamonds Mastermind is officially being rebranded into the IndigiRise Business Accelerator. This shift is intentional and strategic. We believe this evolution will strengthen our ability to secure funding and sponsorship so more Indigenous entrepreneurs can access business acceleration support with tuition covered. At the same time, I’m making a difficult temporary decision: The course will be placed on pause while we restructure the program into a fully funded, sustainable model. Over the past year, I’ve donated a significant amount of my time and energy into Diamonds. Facilitating the IndigiRise Life Skills Program in community, and being compensated properly, has reminded me that the work I do is valuable and must be structured in a way that supports sustainability and growth. For those who have already started the program and want to complete the course work, you can absolutely continue. You will still have access to the course materials for the next 6 months. IMPORTANT NOTE: Indigenous Pitch Night is still planning to go forward (as of now). However, we will be restructuring it so that all Indigenous entrepreneurs can apply to pitch, instead of it being limited to Mastermind graduates. This shift will open up opportunities for even more Indigenous entrepreneurs to be seen, supported, and connected to community, customers, and potential funders. This isn’t the end. It’s a recalibration, expansion, and elevation. Once funding is secured, I will personally reach out to our past clients to confirm interest in rejoining the newly rebranded IndigiRise Business Accelerator. This Business Accelerator will be open to Indigenous men and women. #IndigiRise #IndigenousEntrepreneurs #BusinessAccelerator #IndigenousBusiness #IndigenousLed #NationBuilding #PitchNight

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Edmonton Oilers and Stuart Skinner have gone in (extreme) opposite directions in net since big trade. Oilers gives up more Grade A and 5-alarm shots just now. But goalies crushing it. https://lnkd.in/gHN9GTK6 via @edmontonjournal

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Canada faces a significant challenge in attracting major investments due to the impact of the past 10 years under a Liberal-NDP government, which has been perceived as 'Canada Closed 4 Business'. The prevailing ideology, policies, and activist-driven approach have erected substantial barriers to investment. Actions such as scrapping the gateway pipeline to Kitimat (BC), creating obstacles for the TMX expansion project leading to Kinder Morgan's exit, rejecting the Teck $20 Billion Mine, among others, have severely dented 'Business Confidence in Canada'. To address this issue effectively, Canada must prioritize opening its parliament, eliminating laws that impede significant projects, introducing substantial incentives, and offering long-term investment protection. By transitioning to 'Open 4 Business', Canada stands to attract investments worth a trillion dollars. The onus is on Mr. Carney to exhibit leadership by enacting necessary reforms; otherwise, capital will seek destinations characterized by stability and conducive environments.

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The Canadian music and radio industries continue to live with "the protection myth" of Canadian Content as if it really works. For decades, Canadian Content (CanCon) regulations were built on a noble idea: protect Canadian culture. But here’s the uncomfortable truth no one in our industry says out loud: Protection has become restriction. When radio stations are required to meet rigid CanCon quotas, programming decisions stop being purely audience-first and start becoming compliance-first. That’s not cultural growth. That’s cultural containment. Meanwhile, Canadian listeners today live in a digital-first borderless audio world of Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, and Podcasts. None of them follow CanCon rules. So we end up with a strange imbalance where regulated Canadian broadcasters compete against completely unregulated global platforms. True cultural success isn’t forced rotation. It’s genuine audience demand. The biggest global Canadian artists didn’t break internationally because of quotas. They broke because audiences chose them. That distinction matters more than ever in 2026.

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Local and National Social License are Connected One of the most important findings from our recent Social Acceptability Barometer: Canadian Mining report is the clear connection between local and national social license to operate (SLO). In surveying nearly 5,000 Canadians, we found that national trust in the mining industry is partly driven by confidence that local communities can hold mining companies accountable. When citizens believe communities closest to mining activity have voice and agency, trust in the industry increases nationally. This reinforces something we first observed in the CSIRO Australian Attitudes Toward Mining survey in 2017 and was again emphasised when the survey was replicated in 2024. The pattern is now evident in Canada: *What happens locally doesn’t stay local. It shapes how the entire industry is perceived* Click here to access the summary report from Voconiq (https://lnkd.in/gxkNFkcn) or here to talk to our exclusive Canadian partner Transfert Environnement et Société to drill deeper into how to action these insights (https://lnkd.in/g9zAXzke). Why this matters This has several important implications for the way mineral policy is developed, how mining companies and industry bodies think and operate, and critically, shows mining communities that their local experiences matter in the way the industry is able to achieve its larger ambitions to fuel the renewable energy transition and secure strategically important resources. Increasing citizen knowledge about mining matters, but our data shows that national SLO is built on observable, local action: - Investing in community resilience - Managing impacts effectively - Strengthening relationships with purpose - Creating meaningful mechanisms to negotiate conditions for acceptability - Ensuring fair and equitable working conditions - Consistent, effective regulatory oversight These are the pathways to greater optimism and trust in the Canadian mining sector. In future iterations of this research, we’ll continue tracking these core SLO drivers over time, and work to increase participation from Indigenous communities in mining regions to ensure all voices are reflected in this critical national conversation. And a reminder, if you are attending Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), I'll be presenting insights from this work on Tuesday 3rd March at 1:30pm in Rm714, with a panel discussion to follow featuring Marc-Olivier Fortin of Transfert Environnement et Société , Candice Tourville of Taykwa Tagamou Nation and Geneviève Morinville, Ph.D. of Winsome Resources Ltd

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As Alberta’s economy continues to grow and diversify, research and innovation will be essential to building the economy of tomorrow.

#HorizonEU, offered through the European Commission, is the world’s largest research and innovation funding program.

This month, the European Commission announced the 2025 Work Programmes for the Horizon Europe funding calls, and I am pleased to share that Alberta-based researchers are eligible to participate in these world-class research networks and funding opportunities.  

For more information, visit:  https://lnkd.in/gq4UBMRD

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A new report from the Fraser Institute confirms what we’ve been focused on — cutting red tape and getting projects moving in Nova Scotia. In just one year, our province had the largest score increase in Canada. We moved from 76th of 82 jurisdictions to 32nd of 68. That’s real progress. There’s more work to do, but we’re unlocking Nova Scotia’s potential — growing our economy, creating good jobs, and generating the revenue needed to fund the services Nova Scotians count on. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eS_c9jwP

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