WEBVTT 00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:03.069 Welcome to Drumbeats, the must -listen -to podcast 00:00:03.069 --> 00:00:05.710 which explains why Indigenous partnerships are 00:00:05.710 --> 00:00:08.689 the key to securing successful outcomes in natural 00:00:08.689 --> 00:00:11.070 resource and infrastructure investment in Canada. 00:00:12.810 --> 00:00:15.250 I'm Mark McNack and my co -host Robert Brant 00:00:15.250 --> 00:00:18.030 and I are joined today by Matt Jameson, CEO of 00:00:18.030 --> 00:00:20.289 Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation, 00:00:20.629 --> 00:00:23.149 to discuss how Indigenous -led enterprise is 00:00:23.149 --> 00:00:25.030 driving sustainable economic transformation. 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:28.339 As the economic engine of Canada's largest First 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:30.859 Nation, the corporation was launched in 2015 00:00:30.859 --> 00:00:33.759 with a clear mission to separate business from 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:36.240 politics and deliver lasting community benefits. 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:39.520 Under Matt's leadership, it has done just that, 00:00:39.659 --> 00:00:43.299 generating $295 million in direct community benefits 00:00:43.299 --> 00:00:45.700 and spearheading major infrastructure projects. 00:00:46.119 --> 00:00:49.060 One standout success is the Oneida Energy Storage 00:00:49.060 --> 00:00:53.829 Project, a $700 million 250 megawatt battery 00:00:53.829 --> 00:00:57.070 facility completed ahead of schedule and under 00:00:57.070 --> 00:01:00.030 budget. Developed through a multi -partner collaboration, 00:01:00.509 --> 00:01:03.509 the project tackles renewable energy intermittency 00:01:03.509 --> 00:01:06.969 and supports Canada's net zero goals. Throughout, 00:01:07.230 --> 00:01:09.930 Matt has championed Indigenous leadership and 00:01:09.930 --> 00:01:11.950 deep community engagement as the foundation of 00:01:11.950 --> 00:01:16.250 sustainable and successful development. Well, 00:01:16.329 --> 00:01:19.790 Matt Jameson. the President and CEO of the Six 00:01:19.790 --> 00:01:21.890 Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation. 00:01:22.989 --> 00:01:25.629 Welcome to Drumbeats. It's a real pleasure to 00:01:25.629 --> 00:01:29.310 have this chance to chat. Well, Rob, thanks very 00:01:29.310 --> 00:01:30.730 much for having me and I look forward to the 00:01:30.730 --> 00:01:32.969 conversation with you and Mark. Yeah, great to 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:35.250 have you here, Matt. We're very, very pleased 00:01:35.250 --> 00:01:37.890 to have you on with us to tell us what's going 00:01:37.890 --> 00:01:41.489 on with Six Nations. Why don't you first of all 00:01:41.489 --> 00:01:43.849 give us a bit of background about... Six Nations 00:01:43.849 --> 00:01:46.030 and yourself and where you grew up and where 00:01:46.030 --> 00:01:51.769 you are in the land called Canada. Okay, great. 00:01:51.849 --> 00:01:54.069 Listen, always proud to talk about Six Nations. 00:01:55.010 --> 00:01:57.909 Six Nations of the Grand River is the largest 00:01:57.909 --> 00:02:01.209 First Nation in Canada. We're located about one 00:02:01.209 --> 00:02:04.189 hour west of Toronto in the province of Ontario. 00:02:05.049 --> 00:02:09.129 And I am a member, of course, of the community, 00:02:09.229 --> 00:02:11.939 a member of the Tuscarora Nation. My father's 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:14.780 a Mohawk, a nation member. And Six Nations is 00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:17.180 true to its name. It's one of the only jurisdictions 00:02:17.180 --> 00:02:19.759 or territories. I think it's the only territory 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:22.800 in North America where all six Haudenosaunee 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:25.659 or Iroquois nations cohabitate within the same 00:02:25.659 --> 00:02:28.680 footprint. And it really is a rich land. And 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:30.979 I'm really, really tremendously proud to represent 00:02:30.979 --> 00:02:34.419 the interests of my people. For those who know, 00:02:34.580 --> 00:02:37.939 you know, the Mohawk Nation is a powerful and 00:02:37.939 --> 00:02:41.780 mighty. um tribal nation that uh you know we 00:02:41.780 --> 00:02:44.259 we as a community you know hold ourselves in 00:02:44.259 --> 00:02:47.879 high regard not only to do what's important but 00:02:47.879 --> 00:02:50.400 also to set an example of what's possible and 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:53.280 so you know i grew up here at six nations under 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:55.680 the the leadership of two great parents my father 00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:58.780 actually is a retired banker was the founding 00:02:58.780 --> 00:03:01.680 uh executive for the bank of montreal's indigenous 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:05.240 banking unit across the country and so he charted 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:07.719 a path for me as a young man to see what's possible 00:03:08.189 --> 00:03:10.490 My mother on the other hand. Yeah, my father, 00:03:10.509 --> 00:03:15.669 Ron. Ron Jameson, a legend in Canadian banking 00:03:15.669 --> 00:03:18.969 and Indigenous business circles. And to this 00:03:18.969 --> 00:03:21.650 day, Rob, I follow in his footsteps. He's been 00:03:21.650 --> 00:03:25.370 retired for over 20 years now, but he left a 00:03:25.370 --> 00:03:29.909 legacy. And he also blazed some trails that I 00:03:29.909 --> 00:03:32.669 think have been very helpful for many nations 00:03:32.669 --> 00:03:35.580 across the country. In addition to that. Certainly, 00:03:35.699 --> 00:03:37.800 I would say the real powerhouse in my household 00:03:37.800 --> 00:03:40.719 as a child was my mother, Rebecca Jameson, who 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:44.240 is the CEO of the Six Nations Polytechnic. And 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:47.800 she, in and of herself, was also a trailblazer 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:49.680 in the education space. So, you know what, I 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:52.300 had the benefit of growing up in Canada's largest 00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:54.520 First Nation by population under the leadership 00:03:54.520 --> 00:03:58.000 of two fantastic parents who basically ingrained 00:03:58.000 --> 00:03:59.960 in my mind that, you know what, the past doesn't 00:03:59.960 --> 00:04:02.639 have to be indicative of the future. And, you 00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:05.810 know, I was able to take that. Take that knowledge 00:04:05.810 --> 00:04:08.150 that was transferred to me from my parents and 00:04:08.150 --> 00:04:11.110 apply it in my own way to my community. Take 00:04:11.110 --> 00:04:13.270 the Six Nations Development Corporation into 00:04:13.270 --> 00:04:18.670 this new path of prosperity. So you grew up in 00:04:18.670 --> 00:04:24.050 a great family and that set you off. Where did 00:04:24.050 --> 00:04:26.649 you go to school then? Where did you get your 00:04:26.649 --> 00:04:31.529 education that led you to a CEO of a large enterprise 00:04:31.529 --> 00:04:35.199 like you are today? Well, I think from an academic 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:39.120 standpoint, I was a late bloomer. I was a kid 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:43.439 who grew up on the res, very much like many youth 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:47.579 grow up on a reserve, looking at ways, in many 00:04:47.579 --> 00:04:51.740 cases, how do I preserve my ability to stay within 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:54.699 the protection mechanism of our community? And 00:04:54.699 --> 00:04:58.560 it took me a while to actually go off and pursue 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:03.290 post -secondary academia. in the way that I have, 00:05:03.389 --> 00:05:07.310 ultimately did go down that path. But when I 00:05:07.310 --> 00:05:10.850 left the community, I initially worked in the 00:05:10.850 --> 00:05:13.670 casino business in Ontario as it emerged in 1996. 00:05:14.670 --> 00:05:17.589 And I was very good at it. That casino industry 00:05:17.589 --> 00:05:19.970 took me into the United States. I spent time 00:05:19.970 --> 00:05:23.589 in Nevada and New Jersey and the Caribbean. And 00:05:23.589 --> 00:05:26.629 I got a lot of exposure to corporate America 00:05:26.629 --> 00:05:28.970 and how they do business from the casino gaming 00:05:28.970 --> 00:05:30.610 standpoint. And it was a valuable experience 00:05:30.610 --> 00:05:32.839 for me. And as I said, I was good at it. But 00:05:32.839 --> 00:05:35.240 at the same time, there was a moment of reckoning 00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:39.120 for me. And that moment of reckoning came when 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:41.639 I started to reflect on what the output or the 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:44.980 value of creation that I was in pursuit of. And, 00:05:45.060 --> 00:05:46.980 you know, I quickly dawned on me that, you know, 00:05:46.980 --> 00:05:49.920 that space was not sustainable, not sustainable 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:51.800 for me as an individual, but not sustainable 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:55.480 for society generally. And so I did pursue a 00:05:55.480 --> 00:05:57.500 post -secondary education while I was in that 00:05:57.500 --> 00:05:59.519 gaming space. I went to Athabasca University. 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:03.180 Eventually finished an MBA there and then went 00:06:03.180 --> 00:06:06.019 on to the Rotman School of Business and did the 00:06:06.019 --> 00:06:07.420 Institute of Chartered Directors designation 00:06:07.420 --> 00:06:10.899 program, all of which while I was working. But, 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:12.759 you know, that education, as I went through those 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:15.319 institutions, also validated a lot of the learning 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:18.000 that I had picked up along the way. And, you 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.300 know, I would say that, you know, the pursuit 00:06:20.300 --> 00:06:23.220 of my career, ultimately coming back home, I 00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:25.959 often describe, you know, my arrival back on 00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:28.300 the doorstep of the community as it was really 00:06:28.300 --> 00:06:31.329 too. two different channels. One, my mother was 00:06:31.329 --> 00:06:34.230 pulling me to come home because there was a need 00:06:34.230 --> 00:06:36.850 in our community for someone who had an understanding 00:06:36.850 --> 00:06:40.209 of the gaming market, but also was prepared or 00:06:40.209 --> 00:06:42.550 capable of helping advance the economic agenda 00:06:42.550 --> 00:06:45.949 for the community. The other pull was our former 00:06:45.949 --> 00:06:47.870 chief Bill Montour, who has since passed away. 00:06:48.290 --> 00:06:51.350 Bill was a great chief who had encouraged me 00:06:51.350 --> 00:06:52.970 to come home and said, you know, I need you to 00:06:52.970 --> 00:06:54.829 come home and help us with this particular agenda. 00:06:55.769 --> 00:06:58.930 And, you know, One time in my career, I worked 00:06:58.930 --> 00:07:01.949 for a CEO and he was pushing me to do something 00:07:01.949 --> 00:07:04.189 that I really didn't want to do. And he said, 00:07:04.230 --> 00:07:06.209 Matt, you know, the web of comfort in your job 00:07:06.209 --> 00:07:09.790 is the same web that holds you back. And I always 00:07:09.790 --> 00:07:12.269 looked at that web of comfort in the community 00:07:12.269 --> 00:07:15.589 as being my comfort zone as a young man. And 00:07:15.589 --> 00:07:18.170 when I broke through, I never wanted to come 00:07:18.170 --> 00:07:22.470 home. It wasn't until I drive across the... over 00:07:22.470 --> 00:07:25.709 the bridge of the Grand River, which is very, 00:07:25.769 --> 00:07:28.410 very important to our community, where when I 00:07:28.410 --> 00:07:30.870 came home for the second time, I felt comfortable. 00:07:30.990 --> 00:07:34.029 I knew I was home and I was home to stay. And 00:07:34.029 --> 00:07:36.870 it was that journey home over that bridge, breaking 00:07:36.870 --> 00:07:40.009 back through that barrier, that really became 00:07:40.009 --> 00:07:44.230 my 2 .0 in life. What I do now is a reconciliation 00:07:44.230 --> 00:07:47.509 for, I'd say, some of the damage I caused in 00:07:47.509 --> 00:07:50.110 the casino gaming industry to individuals by 00:07:50.110 --> 00:07:54.519 creating... you know, consequences as a result 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:56.259 of, you know, people in their gaming, in their 00:07:56.259 --> 00:07:58.600 gaming behaviors. And now what I do is I create 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:01.319 value. I create value, not for myself, not for 00:08:01.319 --> 00:08:03.579 a casino operator, but for the community and 00:08:03.579 --> 00:08:05.600 the next seven generations. And that's what keeps 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:09.459 me coming to work. So what year was, would that 00:08:09.459 --> 00:08:12.800 have been Matt? When you came back? I came back 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:18.779 in 2000 and 2009. I broke into the casino gaming 00:08:18.779 --> 00:08:21.920 business in 1996 and I spent, uh all that time 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:25.259 until 2009 uh until i came home to the community 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:28.079 and at that time chief bill went to her you know 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:30.959 as i mentioned earlier was advocating for new 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:33.080 leadership and when i landed in the community 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:36.039 i was in an advisory capacity for the elected 00:08:36.039 --> 00:08:38.700 council and six nations was no different than 00:08:38.700 --> 00:08:41.080 any other nation tribal nation in the country 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:43.700 and even in the united states strong aspirations 00:08:43.700 --> 00:08:46.080 to get involved in business strong aspirations 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:50.519 to own and participate in the economy but lacked 00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:54.120 the strategic underpinning and focus to actually 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:58.240 execute and be successful in that capacity. I 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:00.840 often talk across the country to other Indigenous 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:03.340 economic development folks, and I say, you know 00:09:03.340 --> 00:09:05.720 what? The most important and the greatest idea 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:07.480 was the one that the chief and council heard 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:10.360 the night before. And as a result, economic development 00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:12.679 folks are constantly spinning their wheels because 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:15.000 the politicians don't want to miss out on the 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:17.950 opportunity. They focus on trying to be everything 00:09:17.950 --> 00:09:20.769 to everyone and an expert at nothing. And it 00:09:20.769 --> 00:09:22.669 was through my work when I came back under the 00:09:22.669 --> 00:09:25.149 leadership of Chief Bill Montour where I quickly 00:09:25.149 --> 00:09:27.009 realized that we needed to create an institution 00:09:27.009 --> 00:09:30.350 to separate business from politics. The Harvard 00:09:30.350 --> 00:09:32.210 study on American Indian economic development 00:09:32.210 --> 00:09:36.129 became a playbook of ours and was the key underpinnings 00:09:36.129 --> 00:09:38.669 to what ultimately became the Six Nations Development 00:09:38.669 --> 00:09:42.129 Corporation. Separating business from politics 00:09:42.129 --> 00:09:45.600 has been our secret ingredient. for the last 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:48.360 decade to achieve the level of success that we 00:09:48.360 --> 00:09:53.379 have had. And so you were instrumental in setting 00:09:53.379 --> 00:09:55.940 up the development corporation that you lead 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:58.919 today. And at that time, when it was set up, 00:09:58.980 --> 00:10:04.200 2015 -ish, there wouldn't have been a lot of 00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:06.620 development corps out there. It was something 00:10:06.620 --> 00:10:12.700 new. And so tell us a little bit about how that... 00:10:13.389 --> 00:10:16.870 and what the vision was? Well, Rob, it was definitely 00:10:16.870 --> 00:10:19.350 a journey. So the corporation launched in 2015 00:10:19.350 --> 00:10:25.129 and the council themselves had given me the agenda 00:10:25.129 --> 00:10:28.230 in 2010. So I was here for about a year and I 00:10:28.230 --> 00:10:31.409 came up with this whole proposal. And, you know, 00:10:31.409 --> 00:10:32.490 I brought it to the chief of council. I said, 00:10:32.529 --> 00:10:35.350 this is the path that we need to pursue as a 00:10:35.350 --> 00:10:37.389 community. And they said, well, Matt, go ahead 00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:40.440 and go. But the chief, Bill, at the time said 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:41.940 to me, Matt, well, the question is, how long 00:10:41.940 --> 00:10:44.120 are you going to be here? Because we don't want 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:45.440 to start this agenda and then you're going to 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:48.240 leave. And my response to him was, Bill, I'm 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:50.480 going to be here as long as I can get stuff done. 00:10:51.059 --> 00:10:53.179 The moment I can get stopped for political reasons 00:10:53.179 --> 00:10:55.500 is the day I leave. So the real question is, 00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:57.740 how long do you want me here? And you know what? 00:10:57.820 --> 00:11:00.559 The chief and council at that time gave me the 00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:03.440 autonomy to pursue this agenda, to create this 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:07.019 corporation. It took five years. We spent, you 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:10.460 know. Many, many sessions in the community, dinners, 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:15.039 coffee, people in community members' living rooms 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:17.460 having tea and having discussions about what's 00:11:17.460 --> 00:11:20.799 the sensitivity of a federal corporation finding 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:24.899 its way into the Six Nations territory. And there 00:11:24.899 --> 00:11:28.779 was apprehension and there was pessimistic points 00:11:28.779 --> 00:11:32.080 of view on, do we need this institution? But 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:35.679 nonetheless, it was a journey of five years. 00:11:36.269 --> 00:11:38.110 until the corporation was actually launched. 00:11:38.289 --> 00:11:40.809 And during that five years, I actually obtained 00:11:40.809 --> 00:11:43.769 38 different council resolutions to keep them 00:11:43.769 --> 00:11:46.210 in pace with what was happening and why we're 00:11:46.210 --> 00:11:48.190 doing it. And as we went through this agenda 00:11:48.190 --> 00:11:51.710 with the community, we didn't just explain what 00:11:51.710 --> 00:11:53.470 we were doing to the community. We explained 00:11:53.470 --> 00:11:55.990 why we were doing it and what it meant for them 00:11:55.990 --> 00:11:58.750 as people, as citizens. And you know what? That's 00:11:58.750 --> 00:12:01.509 really important as business is transacted within 00:12:01.509 --> 00:12:05.389 nations across this country. The agenda for progress 00:12:05.389 --> 00:12:09.429 and output and outcomes isn't one -sided. We 00:12:09.429 --> 00:12:11.889 have to translate what that means for the citizens 00:12:11.889 --> 00:12:14.330 and what it means for their children, for them 00:12:14.330 --> 00:12:16.850 to really buy in and really latch on to opportunity. 00:12:17.129 --> 00:12:19.590 And once they do, they can become incredibly 00:12:19.590 --> 00:12:22.129 strong advocates for what's possible. And so 00:12:22.129 --> 00:12:23.690 it was those key underpinnings that happened 00:12:23.690 --> 00:12:27.830 from 2010 to 2015 that really informed the key 00:12:27.830 --> 00:12:30.590 tenets of who we are, what our institutional 00:12:30.590 --> 00:12:33.320 identity is. And it's founded on the principles 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:36.639 of transparency and accountability. And everything 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:39.039 that we do, everything that I do under the leadership 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:43.059 of our board of directors is, you know, has to 00:12:43.059 --> 00:12:45.000 be governed by our social license to operate 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:47.559 on behalf of the people. I'm only as good as 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:51.399 our last bad decision, right? Fascinating story, 00:12:51.620 --> 00:12:53.700 Matt. And, you know, the words you just used, 00:12:53.820 --> 00:12:58.000 social license, right, is so important. And where 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:00.179 I've obviously been over in London, worked internationally, 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:04.149 I have... most of my career and what you're talking 00:13:04.149 --> 00:13:07.750 about in that process really isn't out of context 00:13:07.750 --> 00:13:10.889 of how people work in many societies around the 00:13:10.889 --> 00:13:14.350 world it's it is different in turtle island or 00:13:14.350 --> 00:13:17.129 what's now called north america where it's like 00:13:17.129 --> 00:13:18.909 oh get things done we got the deal done right 00:13:18.909 --> 00:13:22.169 away on onwards but what you're talking about 00:13:22.169 --> 00:13:24.990 getting that commitment of the community behind 00:13:24.990 --> 00:13:27.789 and as you said once they're committed they become 00:13:27.789 --> 00:13:30.940 true champions and this is how the decisions 00:13:30.940 --> 00:13:34.440 that you take and indigenous peoples this seven 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:37.179 generations concept that many in the west have 00:13:37.179 --> 00:13:39.419 now picked up oh sustainability and we've got 00:13:39.419 --> 00:13:41.179 to look after the planet well we should have 00:13:41.179 --> 00:13:43.899 been doing that a lot longer and a lot of us 00:13:43.899 --> 00:13:45.899 would have been always in purpose -driven businesses 00:13:45.899 --> 00:13:48.220 if we'd really been thinking but now that sets 00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:51.080 a platform for long -term success because they've 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:54.080 accepted they've understood and now they're committed 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:59.100 and i'm sure they feel the ownership and responsibility 00:13:59.100 --> 00:14:01.480 of what you're trying to achieve with your corporation. 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:03.919 So thank you for sharing that. I think that's 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:06.120 a really helpful background for our listeners. 00:14:06.980 --> 00:14:10.779 Yeah, it certainly is representative of one of 00:14:10.779 --> 00:14:12.960 the paths of progress, right? If you look back 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:15.419 at the history in Canada, and specifically the 00:14:15.419 --> 00:14:19.360 history of Six Nations, we've been engaged in 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:22.559 land litigation, treaty litigation with the Crown 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:26.840 for 30 years on one particular claim. And we 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:29.320 have not yet got our day in court. So you see 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:33.480 that the legal pathway is there. It's navigating 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:36.259 a legal system that wasn't necessarily crafted 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:38.220 or created for our interests. But nonetheless, 00:14:38.379 --> 00:14:40.620 we are navigating that in the pursuit of justice 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:44.960 and reconciliation. And then there is the other 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:47.340 path, which often gets all the headlines, which 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:51.279 is the path of disruption, protest. You see that 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:53.100 front and center on all the major newspapers 00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:56.250 where, geez, you know what? There's a hostility 00:14:56.250 --> 00:14:58.110 here. But you could imagine that if you're a 00:14:58.110 --> 00:15:00.750 youth growing up for the last two or three generations 00:15:00.750 --> 00:15:03.950 and you were hearing firsthand from your ancestors 00:15:03.950 --> 00:15:06.789 that there's no progress here, that suddenly 00:15:06.789 --> 00:15:10.070 disruption becomes a path. And it has happened. 00:15:10.429 --> 00:15:12.490 And then there's the path which I choose, which 00:15:12.490 --> 00:15:15.590 is the boardroom. And the path to the boardroom 00:15:15.590 --> 00:15:18.230 hinges on that social license to operate, Mark, 00:15:18.330 --> 00:15:20.870 and how we do things. We need to stay true to 00:15:20.870 --> 00:15:22.970 our identity and our authenticity of who we are 00:15:22.970 --> 00:15:25.820 and how we do things. But when we find opportunity 00:15:25.820 --> 00:15:28.720 that's on our terms, we are the strongest advocates 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:30.899 and we can move mountains in the marketplace. 00:15:31.019 --> 00:15:33.000 And we have done that in the energy markets here 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:36.440 in Ontario. So true, Matt. And when you talk 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:38.960 about those different paths, I mean, one of the 00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:41.120 reasons, one of the drivers for the Canadian 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:44.029 Indigenous Investment Summit. in london every 00:15:44.029 --> 00:15:47.350 year and this podcast drum beats is to make the 00:15:47.350 --> 00:15:50.169 international audience especially aware that 00:15:50.169 --> 00:15:53.269 there are these other paths i've had situations 00:15:53.269 --> 00:15:57.049 in london sitting in london with a client uh 00:15:57.049 --> 00:15:59.490 where a client has looked at his phone and said 00:15:59.490 --> 00:16:04.330 there's a brandt blockading a railway in canada 00:16:04.330 --> 00:16:08.309 somewhere related to you um and those are the 00:16:08.309 --> 00:16:11.389 types of stories that hit the headlines uh in 00:16:11.389 --> 00:16:13.960 london and there's bit of a perception that all 00:16:13.960 --> 00:16:16.259 Indigenous people are against all development. 00:16:17.159 --> 00:16:20.000 And that's certainly not true when it's done 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.379 the right way, when it's approached in the right 00:16:22.379 --> 00:16:26.679 way. Indigenous peoples can be very, very supportive. 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:29.980 And as you said, the best partners. You've proved 00:16:29.980 --> 00:16:34.179 that time and time again. Sorry, Rob. What was 00:16:34.179 --> 00:16:38.940 your answer? In that particular case, yeah, I 00:16:38.940 --> 00:16:43.950 was a cousin. Just so everybody recognizes the 00:16:43.950 --> 00:16:46.289 importance of the Brant name, the first four 00:16:46.289 --> 00:16:50.429 kings who came over to visit Queen Anne, one 00:16:50.429 --> 00:16:53.070 of them was the grandfather of Joseph Brant. 00:16:53.629 --> 00:16:57.750 And then, of course, Chief Joseph Brant is famed 00:16:57.750 --> 00:17:01.049 for his loyalty to the British and fighting for 00:17:01.049 --> 00:17:04.170 his nation. And that's the connection. So Rob 00:17:04.170 --> 00:17:06.269 and I have. So if anybody's questioning about 00:17:06.269 --> 00:17:09.640 Rob Brant's commitment to... economic development 00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:14.880 and reconciliation he's 150 behind it uh without 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:17.880 rob and matt and mark i mean we're all we've 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:20.319 all got a tie -in well there might be an odd 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:22.099 cousin though on the brand side we're not sure 00:17:22.099 --> 00:17:25.460 of but you you can you can go have a chat with 00:17:25.460 --> 00:17:28.059 them rob maybe we need a family call and meet 00:17:28.059 --> 00:17:31.140 all the brands one day anyways i know well the 00:17:31.140 --> 00:17:34.299 mohawks after the american revolution in upper 00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:38.700 new york state moved up first to Montreal and 00:17:38.700 --> 00:17:42.460 then came down when land was deeded by the crown 00:17:42.460 --> 00:17:46.099 as compensation for the land lost in New York 00:17:46.099 --> 00:17:50.019 as a result of that war. And so my family settled 00:17:50.019 --> 00:17:54.819 in Tyendinaga territory between Toronto, Montreal, 00:17:54.940 --> 00:18:00.259 and others went on with Chief Joseph Brandt to 00:18:00.259 --> 00:18:02.740 Six Nations where Matt is today. That's right. 00:18:02.839 --> 00:18:06.200 Yes. So my ancestors came up from Schenectady, 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:09.160 New York, all the Scottish. Wanted to be one 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:11.579 of the dictator across the pond instead of down 00:18:11.579 --> 00:18:14.539 the street. And in the past 10 years, we've proved 00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:17.299 ourselves right twice that that was a good decision. 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:22.279 Anyway, why don't we hear about Ontario Oneida 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:26.140 Energy Storage? Because this is really something. 00:18:26.299 --> 00:18:30.910 Yeah, just your latest project. Yeah. So I'll 00:18:30.910 --> 00:18:32.950 step back a little bit before we talk about ANITA. 00:18:32.950 --> 00:18:37.609 I'll step back to as far back as 2011. So as 00:18:37.609 --> 00:18:39.829 we were in the formative stages of creating the 00:18:39.829 --> 00:18:41.490 Six Nations Development Corporation, we were 00:18:41.490 --> 00:18:45.069 in parallel in discussions with developers, wind 00:18:45.069 --> 00:18:46.970 developers, solar developers here in Ontario. 00:18:47.829 --> 00:18:50.009 There was a feed -in tariff program under the 00:18:50.009 --> 00:18:53.710 government of Ontario at the time, which incentivized 00:18:53.710 --> 00:18:56.369 development of renewable energy assets. And we 00:18:56.369 --> 00:18:58.869 were like, hey, this is one of those opportunities 00:18:58.869 --> 00:19:01.640 that... allows us to participate in the economy 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:04.319 in a way that's aligned with our values. This 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:08.440 is green carbon -reducing assets. This is going 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:10.920 to harness the value and the power of Mother 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:13.680 Earth to create value, not just for us, but for 00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:16.579 future generations. So we quickly aligned ourselves 00:19:16.579 --> 00:19:20.220 with key developers in the region, and we're 00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:22.140 able to leverage our position to participate 00:19:22.140 --> 00:19:25.980 as equity investors and owners of large -scale 00:19:25.980 --> 00:19:28.970 wind and solar. And so we've got almost two gigawatts 00:19:28.970 --> 00:19:31.289 of renewable energy generation that we're invested 00:19:31.289 --> 00:19:34.190 in in the market. As an investor or owner in 00:19:34.190 --> 00:19:37.009 those assets, though, we quickly saw the intermittent 00:19:37.009 --> 00:19:39.329 nature of the wind and the sun and how these 00:19:39.329 --> 00:19:42.329 assets produce value. At the same time, in parallel 00:19:42.329 --> 00:19:45.809 with that volatility of production, we also heard 00:19:45.809 --> 00:19:47.809 from our neighbors. On one hand, they're looking 00:19:47.809 --> 00:19:51.049 at a wind turbine out of their window. And on 00:19:51.049 --> 00:19:52.289 the other hand, they're looking at their hydro 00:19:52.289 --> 00:19:55.470 bill. The power bill is going up. They're associating 00:19:55.470 --> 00:19:58.500 one with the other. And in some cases that was 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:00.319 true because the contracts that were awarded 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:05.200 back in 2010, 2014, 2013, they were lucrative 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:07.680 because the province of Ontario was attempting 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:10.059 to spur investment, to spur economic growth, 00:20:10.279 --> 00:20:12.680 to create a new economy here, the green economy 00:20:12.680 --> 00:20:16.619 in Ontario. And so we as an investor and a neighbor, 00:20:16.680 --> 00:20:19.160 we heard very clearly that, you know, there was 00:20:19.160 --> 00:20:22.160 this frustration around energy generation assets, 00:20:22.380 --> 00:20:25.369 renewable generation assets. But we know... It 00:20:25.369 --> 00:20:28.230 was emotional to us. We wanted to be involved 00:20:28.230 --> 00:20:30.890 in more renewable energy development. But we 00:20:30.890 --> 00:20:34.329 knew that there was no solution in the market 00:20:34.329 --> 00:20:36.890 to harness this great value that was being produced. 00:20:37.329 --> 00:20:39.450 When the wind is blowing at night, when the sun 00:20:39.450 --> 00:20:41.349 is shining during the day and people aren't using 00:20:41.349 --> 00:20:43.589 the power, it's being lost. And there was no 00:20:43.589 --> 00:20:45.890 way to harness that great value. And so in 2017, 00:20:46.089 --> 00:20:49.109 we met a small company in Toronto called InterStore. 00:20:49.490 --> 00:20:51.650 And InterStore are experts in energy storage. 00:20:51.890 --> 00:20:55.039 Very small, nimble boutique shop. experts at 00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:57.420 what they do. We put our heads together here 00:20:57.420 --> 00:20:59.920 at Six Nations in our boardroom and talked about 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:01.940 what's possible. How can we build something, 00:21:02.099 --> 00:21:04.440 a large battery storage facility that's going 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:07.559 to harness this value, be a grid connected asset 00:21:07.559 --> 00:21:09.880 so we can draw power from the grid when it's 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:12.240 not needed and push it out to the consumers when 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:15.259 it is. And that was where the concept of the 00:21:15.259 --> 00:21:17.720 United Energy Storage Project was born in 2018. 00:21:18.589 --> 00:21:20.789 We signed an agreement with Interstore and we 00:21:20.789 --> 00:21:23.230 carried the football together as co -partners, 00:21:23.289 --> 00:21:26.430 so 50 -50 partners. We put hundreds of thousands 00:21:26.430 --> 00:21:29.490 of dollars at risk to convince at that time the 00:21:29.490 --> 00:21:32.210 province of Ontario that an energy storage of 00:21:32.210 --> 00:21:34.269 this order of magnitude is needed. It's critical 00:21:34.269 --> 00:21:37.349 for the future of our country. It's critical 00:21:37.349 --> 00:21:40.369 to meet our net zero goals of our future generations. 00:21:41.049 --> 00:21:44.589 And so it took us a long time. And in 2022, we 00:21:44.589 --> 00:21:47.750 brought in Northland Power. large publicly traded 00:21:47.750 --> 00:21:50.670 company in Canada, who brought in additional 00:21:50.670 --> 00:21:53.609 firepower from a financial perspective to help 00:21:53.609 --> 00:21:55.589 us and get us across the line with the province 00:21:55.589 --> 00:21:58.869 of Ontario and the ISO that led to the contract. 00:21:59.329 --> 00:22:01.849 And it was through the involvement of Northland 00:22:01.849 --> 00:22:04.089 Power together with InterStore and Six Nations, 00:22:04.309 --> 00:22:07.529 as well as ACON, our partner. ACON is a partner 00:22:07.529 --> 00:22:10.309 of ours for a long time. We came together and 00:22:10.309 --> 00:22:13.069 ultimately constructed this facility, which was 00:22:13.069 --> 00:22:18.039 a $700 million energy storage project. 250 megawatts, 00:22:18.039 --> 00:22:20.140 1 ,000 megawatt hours, so it's a four -hour cycle 00:22:20.140 --> 00:22:23.740 time. And we're very proud. That project was 00:22:23.740 --> 00:22:26.140 just commissioned last month, ahead of schedule 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:29.420 and under budget. So I think that speaks to the 00:22:29.420 --> 00:22:31.400 power of what's possible with Indigenous partnerships 00:22:31.400 --> 00:22:34.200 at the forefront of an idea. As I said earlier, 00:22:34.859 --> 00:22:37.519 if we can get behind an idea and be part of the 00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:40.579 concept, we can advocate and move mountains. 00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:42.720 And that means moving mountains with government, 00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:45.900 influencing public policy. But you go to the 00:22:45.900 --> 00:22:48.200 markets to raise capital, you go to raise financing. 00:22:48.299 --> 00:22:51.559 It gives a lot of peace of mind for large financial 00:22:51.559 --> 00:22:54.539 institutions to see that the rights holder, i 00:22:54.539 --> 00:22:56.420 .e. Six Nations in this case, is actually an 00:22:56.420 --> 00:22:58.980 investor and partner. It goes a long ways to 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:02.339 de -risk the project and crowds in lots of opportunity, 00:23:02.500 --> 00:23:04.859 like the Canada Infrastructure Bank, who are 00:23:04.859 --> 00:23:08.619 also a key player in the whole transaction. You 00:23:08.619 --> 00:23:10.200 know, I know we'll probably talk about it more, 00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:12.349 but I will just leave you this snippet. I often 00:23:12.349 --> 00:23:14.369 describe the United Energy Storage Project as 00:23:14.369 --> 00:23:17.390 a classic example. It should be, in fact, an 00:23:17.390 --> 00:23:20.609 MBA case study on what's possible when Indigenous 00:23:20.609 --> 00:23:23.710 communities are truly included at the forefront 00:23:23.710 --> 00:23:26.730 of an idea all the way through to the conclusion 00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:30.069 of what's possible. Yeah, well, let's talk a 00:23:30.069 --> 00:23:32.789 bit more about that then. And McCarthy Tatro, 00:23:32.890 --> 00:23:37.650 we were pleased to act for CIB on that. on this 00:23:37.650 --> 00:23:39.730 project. But can you tell us a little bit about 00:23:39.730 --> 00:23:42.309 the size and some of the economics, maybe, and 00:23:42.309 --> 00:23:44.509 how many partners you have there at the moment? 00:23:44.569 --> 00:23:47.390 You've mentioned a few. How does the governance 00:23:47.390 --> 00:23:52.049 work? Yeah, so it's a $700 million project. So 00:23:52.049 --> 00:23:55.490 it's not like we had the ability to go out and 00:23:55.490 --> 00:23:59.650 do this on our own. And we're cautious in the 00:23:59.650 --> 00:24:03.670 market. We've been at this for 10 years. We have 00:24:03.670 --> 00:24:07.400 built a pretty healthy balance sheet. We've got 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:10.700 almost $200 million of assets under administration 00:24:10.700 --> 00:24:13.299 that we're able to build in 10 years with zero 00:24:13.299 --> 00:24:15.779 capital injection from the nation. And so we've 00:24:15.779 --> 00:24:19.160 been able to do this by being creative and innovative 00:24:19.160 --> 00:24:22.900 and managing risk as best as possible. So we, 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:26.160 as I mentioned, we had to bring in, in 2022, 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:31.220 a partner who had the financial well -being or 00:24:31.220 --> 00:24:35.299 capability to bring capital. into the equation. 00:24:35.460 --> 00:24:38.240 And so we did run a process and Northland Power 00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:40.799 was the successful process. We used an investment 00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:44.000 banker to go out to the market and that was Scotiabank 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:48.319 at the time. And Northland emerged as the preferred 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:51.900 partner. In parallel to that, we had Akon. Akon, 00:24:52.039 --> 00:24:55.460 as you may know, is one of Canada's largest construction 00:24:55.460 --> 00:24:57.299 companies. It's a publicly traded construction 00:24:57.299 --> 00:25:00.640 company. We just, out of interest, we've been 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:04.819 a partner with Akon since... for the last decade 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:07.400 in another area, in a construction company partnership 00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:10.200 that we have. And so we know the executive team 00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:13.640 very well at ACON, and they came in as the EPC 00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:17.740 contractor. And as the EPC contractor, they also, 00:25:17.859 --> 00:25:20.099 as part of their new strategy, want to invest 00:25:20.099 --> 00:25:22.500 in the projects that they build. So they have 00:25:22.500 --> 00:25:24.980 a small equity stake in the project. So they 00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:27.180 invested capital. And you know what? That gives 00:25:27.180 --> 00:25:30.140 a lot of comfort when your EPC also puts up capital. 00:25:30.650 --> 00:25:33.150 Because, you know, they're motivated by on -time, 00:25:33.190 --> 00:25:35.829 on -budget thinking as well. And so we have, 00:25:35.970 --> 00:25:39.450 so we've got ourselves, we've got Northland Power, 00:25:39.630 --> 00:25:42.609 we've got Acorn, we've got Interstore, small, 00:25:42.869 --> 00:25:44.250 they're a small boutique firm, so they have a 00:25:44.250 --> 00:25:46.569 small equity slice. And so those were really 00:25:46.569 --> 00:25:50.170 the main component partners in the deal. Very 00:25:50.170 --> 00:25:51.910 close to the commercial operation of the deal, 00:25:52.049 --> 00:25:54.130 the Mississaugas of the credit came in for a 00:25:54.130 --> 00:25:56.269 small equity stake as well, because they are 00:25:56.269 --> 00:25:59.410 in proximity to the project. And so they were, 00:26:00.619 --> 00:26:02.359 They are also an equity investor in the project. 00:26:02.460 --> 00:26:05.359 So when I say this is a classic example of what's 00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:09.000 possible from an MBA case study, if you look 00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:11.079 back, if you look at the whole stack of participants, 00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:14.299 from a federal government standpoint, we have 00:26:14.299 --> 00:26:17.220 the Canada Infrastructure Bank who provided a 00:26:17.220 --> 00:26:21.839 significant subordinate senior debt that made 00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:24.880 the economics of the project work. If you think 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:29.509 back to 2018, all the way to 2022, During that 00:26:29.509 --> 00:26:32.750 time, COVID, the price of lithium went up 400%. 00:26:32.750 --> 00:26:35.829 Commodity pricing was all over the map. Foreign 00:26:35.829 --> 00:26:38.349 exchange was all over the map. We were trying 00:26:38.349 --> 00:26:41.069 to advance an agenda with a government at the 00:26:41.069 --> 00:26:43.170 time that was concerned that, you know, there's 00:26:43.170 --> 00:26:46.509 risks here. So the province of Ontario really 00:26:46.509 --> 00:26:49.869 came to the plate with the ISO as an offtaker 00:26:49.869 --> 00:26:53.250 and entered into a 20 -year contract for services 00:26:53.250 --> 00:26:55.869 for this. If it wasn't for the province of Ontario, 00:26:56.009 --> 00:26:58.480 we would not have a project. So there's a lot 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:00.279 of volatility. The province of Ontario stepped 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:02.519 up. The federal government stepped up to the 00:27:02.519 --> 00:27:04.619 Canada Infrastructure Bank, provided that financing 00:27:04.619 --> 00:27:08.319 mechanism to help share that risk. The NRCan 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:11.039 also provided a $50 million innovation grant 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:13.500 to the project, which also made it viable. You've 00:27:13.500 --> 00:27:14.700 got to remember, this is something that's never 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:16.920 been done before in the country. It is in an 00:27:16.920 --> 00:27:18.960 order of magnitude that many couldn't fathom, 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:21.779 a $700 million battery plant. So you've got the 00:27:21.779 --> 00:27:23.160 federal government, the provincial government, 00:27:23.299 --> 00:27:25.500 you've got the Canada's largest First Nation. 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:27.920 You've got public companies in Northland Power 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:31.380 and Akon, private companies in Interstore, and 00:27:31.380 --> 00:27:33.539 you've got a host municipality in Haldimand Council 00:27:33.539 --> 00:27:36.700 who are a willing host for the project. You know 00:27:36.700 --> 00:27:39.559 what? It checks all the boxes of what's possible. 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:41.839 But you know what? In order to check all those 00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:43.740 boxes, we needed to be part of the conversation 00:27:43.740 --> 00:27:48.240 all the way back to 2018. It was our idea. And 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:50.019 we just found the right partners to help carry 00:27:50.019 --> 00:27:51.940 the football with us. And that's what makes it 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:54.460 so great because it proves what's possible. You 00:27:54.460 --> 00:27:56.900 hear all the noise right now about, Bill C -5 00:27:56.900 --> 00:28:00.880 and Bill 5 in Ontario about accelerating infrastructure. 00:28:01.400 --> 00:28:03.819 And I'm not saying that's a bad thing to accelerate 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:05.559 infrastructure. What I'm saying is it needs to 00:28:05.559 --> 00:28:08.380 be done in a respectful way. So if you just pause 00:28:08.380 --> 00:28:10.519 that discussion for a minute, look at Oneida 00:28:10.519 --> 00:28:14.740 and look at what's possible on time, under budget. 00:28:15.099 --> 00:28:17.660 And there's one common denominator, and that 00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:19.640 is Indigenous leadership at the forefront of 00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:21.920 that equation. That's how development should 00:28:21.920 --> 00:28:24.200 happen and can happen in this country, not through 00:28:24.200 --> 00:28:29.640 legislating. aggressive legislative policy that's 00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:32.940 going to create conflict and ultimately disrupt 00:28:32.940 --> 00:28:37.900 what's possible. Very much so. It's such a fantastic 00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:41.839 story. If this works, you are operational now. 00:28:43.099 --> 00:28:46.799 There's got to be other places in Canada or the 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:51.079 world that could use this technology and the 00:28:51.079 --> 00:28:55.079 size of the storage facility. Are you thinking 00:28:55.079 --> 00:29:01.039 beyond Six Nations? Well, I can tell you, Rob, 00:29:01.819 --> 00:29:05.519 that with Oneida being the first, and at that 00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:07.880 time there was no mechanism in Ontario. So it 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:09.859 was a bilateral negotiation with the province. 00:29:09.880 --> 00:29:13.359 So it was a negotiated contract. As soon as we 00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:15.119 signed that contract, the province of Ontario 00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:18.660 initiated something called an expedited RFP. 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:22.569 And so the expedited RFP... resulted in a couple 00:29:22.569 --> 00:29:24.410 more projects, one of which we partnered with, 00:29:24.490 --> 00:29:26.930 the Heggersville Battery Project, which is close 00:29:26.930 --> 00:29:29.630 to our community. And so that's 300 megawatts, 00:29:29.630 --> 00:29:31.990 even bigger than Oneida. And then immediately 00:29:31.990 --> 00:29:34.029 following the expedited RFP, there was something 00:29:34.029 --> 00:29:37.069 that's called the LT1, Long Term One Procurement, 00:29:37.069 --> 00:29:40.589 for more storage. And we secured three more contracts 00:29:40.589 --> 00:29:43.470 in that contract. So we're actually building 00:29:43.470 --> 00:29:47.329 1 ,100 megawatts of energy storage. So that's 00:29:47.329 --> 00:29:50.569 1 .4 gigawatts. of energy storage assets here 00:29:50.569 --> 00:29:54.930 in Ontario, which makes us Six Nations the largest 00:29:54.930 --> 00:29:57.470 private investor in energy storage in Canada. 00:29:57.849 --> 00:30:00.769 We just happen to be indigenous, right? And we 00:30:00.769 --> 00:30:04.250 happen to be there because we were the innovators 00:30:04.250 --> 00:30:07.069 and the disruptors that brought Oneida across 00:30:07.069 --> 00:30:09.730 the starting line and the finishing line. And 00:30:09.730 --> 00:30:11.769 we built a reputation in the marketplace that 00:30:11.769 --> 00:30:14.349 we can get this done. And so we have a long list 00:30:14.349 --> 00:30:16.089 of companies wanting to target and partner with 00:30:16.089 --> 00:30:18.269 us. And so we have the opportunity to be selective, 00:30:19.009 --> 00:30:24.349 which we're doing. But there is much more opportunity 00:30:24.349 --> 00:30:27.309 in this market. In fact, our growth trajectory 00:30:27.309 --> 00:30:29.930 still hinges on the energy markets through generation 00:30:29.930 --> 00:30:32.349 and storage and others. But we are definitely 00:30:32.349 --> 00:30:35.329 expanding into M &A activity and other channels 00:30:35.329 --> 00:30:37.369 of growth, which are going to get us to where 00:30:37.369 --> 00:30:39.230 we need to go from our next seven generations 00:30:39.230 --> 00:30:44.069 of funding requirements for our community. Fantastic. 00:30:44.190 --> 00:30:46.509 And just the timing of this project coming on 00:30:46.509 --> 00:30:50.930 stream, right? There's a number of factors come 00:30:50.930 --> 00:30:55.269 together, but you managed it under budget, faster 00:30:55.269 --> 00:31:00.329 than the plan. And that speaks to more than just 00:31:00.329 --> 00:31:04.230 luck. It speaks to all the effort, all the groundwork, 00:31:04.329 --> 00:31:06.190 et cetera, that you put in with your partners 00:31:06.190 --> 00:31:09.089 and those who enabled it. But it was that leadership 00:31:09.089 --> 00:31:11.549 from you and your community that was able to 00:31:11.549 --> 00:31:13.680 drive this through. And it needs to be a case 00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:16.480 study. So that can be a separate conversation 00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:19.440 about time to get some of these Canadian business 00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:25.099 schools doing some case studies. I know Rotman 00:31:25.099 --> 00:31:29.200 and he went to Athabasca and I went to Queen's, 00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:33.519 you know, McGill, all these schools, universities. 00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:36.680 And over here, you know, we need to get talking 00:31:36.680 --> 00:31:38.359 to them and share some of this because that is 00:31:38.359 --> 00:31:42.930 a classic case study, as you said. You know, 00:31:42.950 --> 00:31:45.329 a lot of people talk about the Harvard case study 00:31:45.329 --> 00:31:48.089 about Indigenous governance. And we need to get 00:31:48.089 --> 00:31:49.930 some new case studies out there talking about 00:31:49.930 --> 00:31:55.190 what's going on in Canada. Yeah. You know, but 00:31:55.190 --> 00:31:57.470 if you think back to the mission of who we are, 00:31:57.609 --> 00:32:01.730 you know, and I always share this story. When 00:32:01.730 --> 00:32:04.509 you're growing up as a young person in many societies, 00:32:04.730 --> 00:32:07.950 there's history books. In Indigenous cultures, 00:32:08.170 --> 00:32:11.009 there isn't a lot of history books. A lot of 00:32:11.009 --> 00:32:13.289 it is oral tradition, oral history passed down 00:32:13.289 --> 00:32:15.930 from generation to generation. And when you're 00:32:15.930 --> 00:32:18.589 a young person and you hear your grandparents 00:32:18.589 --> 00:32:21.309 tell you that those people hurt me, you don't 00:32:21.309 --> 00:32:24.089 forget that. It's an emotional issue for us, 00:32:24.170 --> 00:32:26.910 right? And so when we go about our business, 00:32:26.970 --> 00:32:30.769 we want to make sure that we do things responsibly 00:32:30.769 --> 00:32:33.410 in a way that we can be proud of when our children 00:32:33.410 --> 00:32:35.930 look at us to say, why did you do that? And so 00:32:35.930 --> 00:32:38.849 we keep a pretty solid record to a website that 00:32:38.849 --> 00:32:41.099 we maintain. where community members can go and 00:32:41.099 --> 00:32:43.359 look at all the facts, all the analysis that 00:32:43.359 --> 00:32:45.619 we've done. That's somewhat of a repository for 00:32:45.619 --> 00:32:48.000 people to reflect upon why we did what we did 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:49.740 and what we evaluated when we made that decision. 00:32:49.880 --> 00:32:53.519 I think that's important to help frame the rationale 00:32:53.519 --> 00:32:55.559 and decision -making we went through. And then 00:32:55.559 --> 00:32:57.700 the last point I'll make is the one thing that 00:32:57.700 --> 00:32:59.920 I'm very, very proud of. In the last 10 years, 00:33:00.779 --> 00:33:03.000 the Six Nations Development Corporation has generated 00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:06.960 over $295 million of direct economic impact into 00:33:06.960 --> 00:33:09.210 our community. And it's through the decisions 00:33:09.210 --> 00:33:11.750 that we're making, the jobs that we're creating, 00:33:11.829 --> 00:33:14.430 the economic spinoff, the investment back into 00:33:14.430 --> 00:33:17.130 our community. You know, I think that will be 00:33:17.130 --> 00:33:20.569 the lens in which we are evaluated. And we just 00:33:20.569 --> 00:33:22.309 need to be responsible in how we navigate the 00:33:22.309 --> 00:33:24.589 future. And I think we're doing that. And I mean, 00:33:24.609 --> 00:33:27.269 I'm really proud to have the opportunity to play 00:33:27.269 --> 00:33:31.410 the role I have. As you should be, Matt. There's 00:33:31.410 --> 00:33:33.369 a lot there to be proud of. And congratulations 00:33:33.369 --> 00:33:37.619 on the 10 years of. Development Corp at the forefront 00:33:37.619 --> 00:33:42.000 of a lot of activity in Canada. And the energy 00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:45.660 storage projects is just the latest. Yeah. So 00:33:45.660 --> 00:33:48.099 thank you very much for taking the time. Talk 00:33:48.099 --> 00:33:51.559 about a little bit about that. I really appreciate 00:33:51.559 --> 00:33:57.319 it. No, go guys. Thank you. Great to have you, 00:33:57.339 --> 00:34:02.019 have you with us today. Thank you to Matt Jameson 00:34:02.019 --> 00:34:04.559 for sharing his insights with us. And thank you 00:34:04.559 --> 00:34:07.119 for viewing and listening. Be sure to share, 00:34:07.279 --> 00:34:09.320 subscribe, and leave a review on your favorite 00:34:09.320 --> 00:34:12.019 podcast channel. Thanks for listening to Drum 00:34:12.019 --> 00:34:13.559 Beats. Until next time.