Firelight
Indigenous Leadership in Major Projects: Assessment and Negotiations Training
Dates: October 27-29, 2026
Location: Lək̓ʷəŋən territory / Victoria, BC
Register today!

Across Canada, there is a trend toward accelerating decisions for major projects. At the same time, many Nations are interested in leading their own assessments, exploring equity ownership, and negotiating strong agreements with proponents and the Crown. The Indigenous Leadership in Major Projects: Assessment and Negotiations Training supports Indigenous communities to respond in a good way to major projects—from inception to completion and monitoring, and from negotiation to decision-making and implementation. Our approach centres community knowledge and experience, helping Indigenous Nations make free, prior, and informed consent decisions about proposed projects on their territories.

Firelight will be hosting our inaugural Indigenous-led Assessment & Negotiation Training in October 2026 at the Songhees Wellness Centre on Lək̓ʷəŋən territory in Victoria, BC. Our team has built industry-leading expertise from 16 years of supporting 200+ Nations and communities across Turtle Island and beyond. With the launch of the 2026 Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) Community Toolkit, we are offering capacity building for Indigenous Nations and communities around Indigenous-led assessment, IBAs, and strategic negotiation. Copies of the 2026 IBA Community Toolkit will be provided to participants. Early bird registration, by July 27, 2026, includes access to our discounted hotel block.

Agenda

Indigenous-led Assessment topics include:

  • How to determine community readiness

  • Understanding the regulatory context

  • Different approaches to Indigenous-led assessments

  • Post-decision activities- mitigation and monitoring

About the Firelight Indigenous-led Assessment team: all of our facilitators have decades of practical experience supporting Indigenous Nations with Indigenous-led Assessment and regulatory processes.

IBA and Strategic Negotiation topics include:

  • Building a negotiation team, a mandate, and leverage

  • Engaging your community and leadership

  • Resourcing studies to support negotiations

  • Implementing agreement

About the Firelight Indigenous Negotiations team: all four of our facilitators are Harvard Law-trained negotiators with decades of experience in the field of major project negotiations.

Sponsorship

Depending on the sponsorship tier, recognition for supporting the Indigenous Leadership in Major Projects: Assessment and Negotiations Training may include:

  • Complimentary workshop tickets 

Brand Visibility 

  • Logo on event website 

  • Logo on event program 

  • Acknowledgement on social media

  • Recognition as a sponsor on event signage 

Workshop Presence 

  • The opportunity for a community to run a case study session to showcase their leadership and experience in the sector

  • Recognition during welcome remarks 

  • Recognition during closing remarks 

  • Verbal acknowledgement throughout the conference

Please email us at ILMP2026@firelight.ca for more information on sponsorship.