Training

Training is a key goal of Firelight’s approach to working with Indigenous Nations. We want the people in the Nations we work with to be a part of the research process because this research belongs to them, and we want to help create the memory of how those important projects were completed.

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Our Approach

Firelight endeavours to ensure a transfer of skills and knowledge during our work with Nations. We also aim to integrate community members into our teams, whether they be focused on research, mapping, policy, or negotiations, so that community members gain skills and feel ownership of our work.

Upcoming Training Opportunities

2026 Indigenous Mapping Workshop

Vancouver, British Columbia
September 21-23, 2026

The Indigenous Mapping Workshop (IMW) is a 3-day workshop providing focused training on entry-level to advanced GIS tools, technologies and methods. IMW Is organized by Firelight and IMW strategic partners, such as Google, Esri Canada, Canadian Space Agency, NASA and many more. The workshop includes introductory and advanced training sessions from our technology partners, and community-led presentations that showcase the innovative ways mapping is supporting Indigenous rights and interests.

This year's workshop is centred around the important role mapping plays in Indigenous Data Sovereignty, and what this means in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

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Indigenous Leadership in Major Projects: Assessment and Negotiations Training

Victoria, British Columbia
October 27-29, 2026

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. Firelight's approach centres community knowledge and experience, helping Indigenous Nations make free, prior, and informed consent decisions about proposed projects on their territories.

The agenda will include both introductory and advanced sessions, and a combination of keynote speakers and break-out sessions.

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Training courses

Firelight also provides training courses for Indigenous Nations to help enhance their techniques in research,
policy development and negotiation. Some examples of the training courses we offer include:

Hands-on direct-to-digital mapping and data management training with Nations and for larger groups
Workshops on running Indigenous Knowledge Research Interviews, working with community researchers on methods and techniques
Training sessions on how to use the Impact and Benefit Agreement Community Toolkit – a key resource for First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in Canada considering impact and benefit agreements, specifically those with mining companies

Orientation sessions on federal/provincial EA processes, to help Nations understand how they can more effectively participate and effect change
Training on monitoring and managing socio-economic effects, examining methods for monitoring impacts from industrial development
Training on the development of community-led environmental monitoring programs that respect the Nation's protocols for looking after the land, water, animals and plants

Large-scale Indigenous Mapping Workshops co-hosted by Firelight, during which we deliver technical training on a variety of mapping tools so that participants can collect, manage, share and publish their own map data

Contact

Steve DeRoy, MSc GIS
Email: steve@firelight.ca
Phone: (604) 563-2245

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Advance your career at Firelight. Our staff work in-office and remotely across Canada. We want to make Firelight the choice employer for Indigenous people. Apply today!

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