This fall, Firelight is hosting Indigenous Leadership in Major Projects: Assessment and Negotiations Training. The event will be held October 27-29, 2026, at the Songhees Wellness Centre on Lək̓ʷəŋən territory, Victoria, BC. 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. This training supports Indigenous communities to respond in a good way to major projects—from proposal to construction and monitoring, and from negotiation to decision-making and implementation. Early bird registration, by July 27, 2026, includes access to our discounted hotel block. Copies of the newly updated 2026 Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) Community Toolkit, Firelight’s flagship negotiations resource, will be provided to participants.
Preparing Indigenous Leaders for Today’s ChallengesOur trainers have built industry-leading expertise from 16 years of supporting 200+ Nations and communities across Turtle Island and beyond. Our 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. Topics include:
Indigenous-led AssessmentDetermining community readinessUnderstanding the regulatory contextApproaches to Indigenous-led assessmentsPost-decision activities, including mitigation and monitoringAll of our facilitators have decades of practical experience supporting Indigenous Nations with Indigenous-led Assessment and regulatory processes.
IBAs & Strategic NegotiationsBuilding a negotiation team, a mandate, and leverageEngaging your community and leadershipResourcing studies to support negotiationsImplementing agreementsAll of our facilitators are Harvard Law-trained negotiators with decades of experience in the field of major project negotiations.
Tara Lamothe, Technical LeadTara Lamothe is Métis, Jobin family, from the Lesser Slave Lake area. Tara has over a decade of experience guiding community-based teams through the development of negotiation strategies, preparing staff and leadership for negotiations, scoping, leading, and project managing research projects, and facilitating negotiations.
Kyle Vermette, Research ManagerKyle Vermette is a Red River Métis lawyer and negotiator from Regina, Saskatchewan. He currently negotiates Impact Benefit Agreements, government-to-government agreements, and Nation-to-Nation agreements on behalf of Indigenous Peoples and advises on Indigenous Nationhood and governance.
Ginger Gibson, DirectorGinger Gibson has supported Indigenous communities across Canada on the negotiation and implementation of Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBAs) since 2009, and is the co-author of the IBA Community Toolkit. She completed a PhD in Mining Engineering at UBC and is now an Adjunct Professor there.
Alistair MacDonald, DirectorAlistair MacDonald has over a decade of experience designing, managing, conducting, and critiquing environmental impact assessments for a wide spectrum of employers and clients, including regulators, communities, NGOs, governments and corporations.
Lindsay Galbraith, Technical LeadLindsay Galbraith has been working in resource management, planning, impact assessment, and decision-making for over 15 years. She previously worked on collaborative marine planning, management, and conservation initiatives.
Rachel Ford, Research ManagerRachel Ford has been working in impact assessment since 2017, and has supported Indigenous Nations across Canada with cumulative effects assessments, alternative means assessments, and rights impact assessments for disturbances as varied as hard rock mines, hydroelectric facilities, rail, and nuclear facilities.
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