Former chief takes on top job at mining industry association

The new president of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is in a unique position to understand the pressing issues facing the mining industry when it comes to First Nations consultation and engagement.
After all, Glenn Nolan has been on the other side.
Nolan, the former chief of Missinabe Cree First Nation, became the first Aboriginal person to take on the top job at PDAC during this year’s mining conference in Toronto.
He does not deny that his previous experiences give him an advantage when it comes to understanding First Nations issues.
“It brings a sensitivity to the issues that communities have,” Nolan told Wawatay News. “The day-to-day stuff, the poverty, the housing, suicides. All the hard stuff, that people on the outside can’t really appreciate.”
Nolan talks of losing a young woman close to his family to suicide, and the impact that still has on his family. He says he knows how it is to be busy and preoccupied with dealing with the day-to-day issues on a reserve, and how chiefs do not always have time to make dealing with a mining company a high priority. He repeatedly emphasizes that companies have to listen to First Nations, and give communities the time to talk about and address their concerns.
But he also notes that First Nations have a role to play in facilitating these kind of partnerships. He says communities have to be clear and open about where their traditional territories are, and where sacred sites and burial grounds are located, in order that companies do not “inadvertently go in and cause damage to that site.”
“It’s about communicating effectively and timely with the company so that it doesn’t lead to conflict down the road,” Nolan says.
Nolan goes back to the need for communication when it comes to conflicts like Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) and Wahgoshig First Nation, both issues related to companies exploring on traditional lands without approval from the First Nation.
“Companies have to listen, learn, and leverage what they learn from communities to form effective partnerships,” Nolan says. “My position as chief has also demonstrated that communities have the right and authority to work with companies on their terms, for the benefit of their communities.”
In regards to the role of government in dealing with conflicts between First Nations and industry, Nolan says all three parties need to be there to support each other.
“The government needs to be there to consult and accommodate the communities. The industry needs to engage the communities on the project and the merits and opportunities around the project. And the communities need to articulate their part of the story as well, so that there can be an effective relationship ongoing,” Nolan says.