First Nations Our Committment
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1. First Nations Commitment

Successful partnerships require dedication, commitment, hard work, understanding, trust and mutual respect. They also involve recognizing each other's values and aspirations, and identifying and communicating common goals. Plutonic shares the goals of First Nations' in regards to the respect of land and resources and ensuring long term sustainability. The Company's activities shall always be conducted in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner.

The following ten principles guide Plutonic's position on all activities and issues related to First Nations:

  1. Recognition of the traditional territories and areas of cultural or heritage interest of First Nations.
  2. Recognition that First Nations have overlapping or shared territories.
  3. Respect of the diversity of interests and cultures among First Nations.
  4. Respect for internal affairs of First Nations.
  5. A common commitment to sustainability and respect for the land and its resources.
  6. Recognition that each First Nation may have interests and objectives that are unique in their respective business relationships and cooperative ventures.
  7. Acknowledgment that there is a shortage of capital to involve First Nations in cooperative ventures and assistance wherever possible in obtaining financing from both the private and public sectors.
  8. Assistance for First Nations to develop training, employment and business opportunities in connection with Plutonic's activities.
  9. Support for First Nations' aspirations in securing long term economic development.
  10. Definition of objectives and management of operations that are in the best business interests of the company's shareholders and First Nations.
NOTE -- this section of the Plutonic website is maintained and edited by L. Maynard Harry: Aboriginal Relations Officer for Plutonic Power and former Chief Councilor of the Sliammon First Nation. Comments and feedback are welcome.

2. Building Partnerships

Over the past four years, PLUTONIC has worked diligently to develop, establish and maintain professional working relationships with a number of First Nations partners. These efforts resulted in three executed Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBAs) with the Klahoose, Sechelt and Sliammon First Nations. During the development of these IBAs we learned much about the everyday challenges facing our Aboriginal partner communities. We will continue to work with our partners in the identification of concerns and solutions to these challenges. The IBAs are designed to accomplish the following:

  • meaningful training and employment of band members;
  • economic development initiatives tailored to the individual needs of each First Nation;
  • cultural heritage resource protection;
  • environmental protection;
  • revenue sharing;
  • injection of immediate capital; and
  • support in the development of relationships between Aboriginal communities and industry.

PLUTONIC believes that collaboration assists in accomplishing joint objectives quicker and more effectively. We strongly believe that our approach ensures positive benefits for the families of our partner communities.

In order to increase PLUTONIC's capacity to foster positive relationships and to share our best practices, we have been working with organizations such as the Industry Council for Aboriginal Businesses (ICAB). ICAB 's purpose is the removal of barriers to economic development in Aboriginal communities. To this end, ICAB facilitates programs furthering dialogue and relationship-building. The organization fills the need of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people for enhanced knowledge so they can conduct productive business negotiations; resulting in collaboration, partnership and wealth creation. PLUTONIC supports this approach with a bronze membership. We actively participate and have shared our experiences and accomplishments at ICAB breakfast meetings.

PLUTONIC recognizes the importance of adaptation and to interesting and unique times. People, communities, government and corporations can only flourish by doing things differently, employing innovation and showing leadership. We respect and understand the desire of Aboriginal communities to participate meaningfully in projects being developed in their traditional territories. We believe that true and solid partnerships include the sharing of profits but also of risk. Therefore we support our Aboriginal partners' in all aspects of business development and we are very confident that together we will effectively manage those risks and that we will jointly prosper. PLUTONIC looks forward to working with our Aboriginal partners on many future projects.

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3. Community Involvement



4. Early Childhood Development

Aboriginal communities enjoy the benefits of a young demographic. The potential for economic growth and the development of a strong workforce is tremendous. At the same time PLUTONIC recognizes the legacy of residential schools in Canada, the Indian Act and other legislation which has profoundly and negatively impacted Aboriginal families. Aboriginal communities struggle with the effects daily. We have been asked to support the leadership of our partner communities in their efforts to ensure that Aboriginal children, ages zero to six, develop the best possible emotional, social, cognitive and physical skills they need when entering the school system. Research shows that 90 % of the brain's structure and its neurological connections are is in place by the time a child turns six. That means that the pathways for future learning are in place. The opportunities for healthy development are best in the early years and investing into that period of time promises long-term and positive outcomes. Therefore PLUTONIC has made early childhood development a priority in community engagement and we have taken a leading role by including early childhood development initiatives into one of our IBAs.

During the development of this IBA PLUTONIC has worked closely with provincial initiatives such as Success by 6 (Sb6) and Understanding the Early Years (UEY) in ensuring the best and most up-to-date information guided our and our partners' joint decisions. As a result we have been invited by Sb6, UEY and the Industry Council of Aboriginal Businesses (ICAB) to share our experiences with other corporate and Aboriginal leaders in the area of early childhood development and Aboriginal/corporate relationship building in general.

"Healthy businesses need healthy communities. Healthy communities are founded on healthy children. By caring for and honoring children right from the start, we can help ensure a successful future for our communities. Success By 6's mission is to work with the all sectors of the community towards a shared vision for young children - we think everyone has a role to play in Early Childhood Development, and that through this collaboration, we can ensure a thriving future for all of us."
Deb Bryant
Provincial Manager, Success By 6 BC

"Plutonic's financial support to Sliammon First Nation for early childhood development programs and services is an excellent example of how community leaders like Maynard, can work with Industry businesses to make children an priority in our communities - they are truly champions for children"
Marcia Dawson
Provincial Aboriginal Coordinator
Success By 6 BC

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5. Training and Employment

Aboriginal leaders across Canada have been placed under economic, social, and political pressure by their communities to improve standards of living and reverse the decades and generations long poverty trends afflicting their people, These include lower incomes, lower wealth, lower educational accomplishment (6 out of 10 students do not graduate), higher unemployment, higher mortality rates, and greater family disintegration. Many solutions and programs have been suggested and implemented, with varying degrees of success.

The future of any society always lies with the youth. Importantly, the vast majority of most Aboriginal communities in Canada are under the age of 30 years - well below the average age of British Columbians (38+ years). Aboriginal communities are well positioned to take advantage of demographic shifts in Canada and contribute a significant number of workers into the BC workforce.

From the PLUTONIC perspective, the strength of any community and its positive development ultimately lies with its citizens. The answers which will assist in reversing the destructive trends mentioned above must start with ensuring the youth in these Aboriginal communities are adequately trained and at some point, meaningfully employed.

There are opportunities for industry to get involved in reversing these trends. For example, industry can assist potential Aboriginal employees in:

  • developing life, employment and career skills through on-the-job training or job-shadowing;
  • sharing valuable knowledge and expertise.
  • providing post-secondary corporate sponsorships;
  • making student co-op employment positions available.

PLUTONIC is striving to help partners in successfully and meaningfully training and employing First Nations youth. For example, PLUTONIC is supporting the Klahoose First Nation and Powell River School District # 47 with a Construction Camp Training Program which is integrated with Peter Kiewit Sons' operations in the Toba Valley

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6. Economic Development

Before contact with European settlers, First Nations communities were strong in manufacturing and production, governance and trade with other First Nations. For thousands of years, First Nations thrived off the abundance of the land and waters, and practiced their culture, traditions and spirituality. Subsequent to contact, First Nations have been working to find and create a new balance within and between our cultures in order to effectively build stronger communities and to establish a new relationship of trust and prosperity between aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples. In the last two hundred years historic events, legislation and discrimination have excluded Aboriginal people from equally participating in the economic and social life of this country. The majority of B.C. First Nations communities exist within an environment of below-average economic performance and poverty. PLUTONIC is committed to assisting First Nations with the re-building of sustainable economies through its projects.

In addition to continually improving our approach to Aboriginal relations and the identification of mutually beneficial opportunities, PLUTONIC is constantly looking to better understand both the shared and the unique challenges facing Aboriginal leadership today. Some of these include:

  • The necessity to balance effective governance models with a communities' need to identify economic opportunity;
  • The relationship between sustainable economic and community development;
  • The communities' need for having a good, well-trained workforce;
  • Balancing collective ownership issues with the need to pursue individual economic opportunity and;
  • Chronic shortage of capital.

PLUTONIC is confident that our work with our First Nation partners will assist in raising the general standard of living within First Nation partner communities.

"Through our three Impact and Benefit Agreements, Plutonic has moved beyond mere words and meaningfully demonstrated our commitment to our Aboriginal partners. It is a Plutonic priority to continue developing and maintaining our already strong working relationships with our First Nation partners." Donald A. McInnes, Vice-Chairman and CEO, Plutonic Power Corporation

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  • Cultural Protection & Resources

    PLUTONIC prioritizes the protection of our First Nation partners' cultural heritage resources, including recorded archaeological physical evidence and contemporary traditional land and resource use activity areas.

    To assist us in ensuring this takes place, PLUTONIC has contracted the services of professional archaeological firms. These steps have resulted in the completion of archaeological impact and archaeological overview assessments for areas pertinent to our hydro-electric development areas. PLUTONIC has also worked with our First Nation partners in the completion of traditional land and resource use studies. PLUTONIC encourages direct involvement of First Nation partners in assessments through (paid) fieldwork opportunities.

    If you have any questions about our approach to cultural heritage resource protection, please call L. Maynard Harry, Aboriginal Relations Officer at (604) 483-7932

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