George Gordon man recognized for success in bringing Aboriginal suppliers, employees to potash mine
- EFN Staff | May 31, 2016
The reason why Terry Bird was named Economic Development Individual of the Year is in the numbers. In his role as Lead Advisor, First Nation and Métis Initiatives for K+S Potash Canada, Bird has helped facilitate more than $300 million in contracts to Indigenous suppliers which has also led to more than 350 Indigenous people working on the Legacy mine site near Bethune.
The Saskatchewan First Nations Economic Development Network Chair Milton Tootoosis announced the recipients for the 2nd Annual SFNEDN Awards for the 2016 Economic Development Individual and Community of the Year during the ‘Economic Diversification Forum’ held at the Dakota Dunes Casino in April. The Onion Lake Cree Economic Development, an extension of the Onion Lake Cree Nation government, received the Economic Development Community of the Year.
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“What Terry and the Onion Lake First Nation have accomplished is worth celebrating,” said Milton Tootoosis. “You can tell that K+S have bought into the whole engagement process and Terry has been a strong lead. And for Onion Lake, they saw they were reliant on oil and gas and have now started to diversify and encourage their citizens to get into business. That is leadership.”
Terry Bird, a George Gordon First Nation citizen recognizes that his success is tied to his company’s success.
“I am both humbled and very proud of too have received the award because it recognizes our company’s solid efforts and accomplishments to include First Nation and Métis businesses within our mining supply chain,” said Bird on the honour. “We understood that there is a list of ingredients needed for real First Nation and Métis supplier inclusion and we were able to leverage our companies First Nation & Métis Procurement Policy into action. And it makes all kinds of sense to do so. We think it makes good business sense to walk across the rural road to shake hands and build mutually beneficial relationships with local First Nation and Métis communities and their suppliers.” K + S also committed over five hundred thousand dollars in community for sport, youth and cultural events in Treaty 4 territory.
Onion Lake supports its entrepreneurs by providing a long list of support services such as mentorship, business plan development, financial accounting training, credit rebuilding and small business management workshops. The Onion Lake Economic Development arm has assisted seventy seven small business owners get started of which ninety-five percent are located on the reserve. Twenty one of the business owners are fluid haulers and they own their own semi-trailer units and haul for local transport companies. The Onion Lake Cree Nation leadership is a strong believer that making one’s own livelihood was promised under treaty and is proud to see the self-employment tradition reignited in the spirit of ‘pimâcihisowin’ (making one’s own living).
“Both Onion Lake leadership and Terry Bird and K+S are role models in business and we need more of that,” said Tootoosis on the recipients. “If you look at the accomplishments of the two, it is impressive what they have done.”
Stay tuned for more on Saskatchewan Mining Week, May 29 - June 4, 2016.