Negotiations and Negotiations Advice
Our firm has been involved in assisting First Nation with their negotiations needs including acting as the Lead Negotiator for complex long-term claims and in helping to design negotiations strategies and to provide advice on strategic avenues for advancing the negotiations process. Our firm has been successful in helping First Nations achieve a number of settlements.
Claims Support
Our claims support work has included a number of key tasks that support the claims process including research, preparation of historical records, coordinating research projects, archival research, other historical research and economic loss calculations. We have prepared numerous reports for First Nations over the past twenty years that have assisted in the completion of either quit or specific claims.
Operational Reviews
In today’s business environment many organizations are looking for expertise to help them become more productive in meeting their obligations to their shareholders, clients, staff or constituents. While acknowledging the need to improve there is a gap in how to approach the need for improvement. It is important to be able to use a fulsome methodology to analyze the organizations current state and to look for avenues for improvement and to recommend a step by step approach to implementing change so that the desired level of improvement can be achieved.
Pre-feasibility and Feasibility Studies and Business Plans
Before investing you want to know what your chances are for success. The investment process should begin with an analysis of the opportunity and more particularly using market data to analyze the potential costs and revenues associated with opportunity. Once the opportunity has demonstrated potential the next evolution in the process is to prepare a detailed analysis of the opportunity to determine feasibility. If the opportunity proves to be feasible and the business idea has merits then the next steps is to prepare a detailed business plan to clearly demonstrate to potential investors how the opportunity will be developed and implemented.
Economic Development and Community Development Plans
The success of a First Nation community rests with its ability to be an active participant in its local and regional economy and in some instances within the global economy. Today First Nations want a well thought out and well designed economic development plan that focuses on their resources base including their traditional territory, human capital and financing potential. In addition, First Nations want to know how to focus on the longer term particularly in advance of or in light of achieving a financial settlement. Our firm assists First Nations with the preparation of a Community Development strategy that will help them address current and future needs while helping both the political leadership and community membership actively engage one another in setting the vision for their First Nation.
Strategic Planning
One of the areas where organizations want independent advice and assistance is with their strategic planning processes. Our principals have been engaged in developing and delivering strategic planning sessions for the better part of the past twenty-five years and have worked for many public sector, not-for-profit, First Nation and other Aboriginal organizations in the creation, delivery and reporting for strategic planning activities.
Governance Workshops and Chief and Council Orientation
As time progresses and the emphasis on accountability and transparency increases many First Nation are looking to increase their understanding of governance best practices and are looking to make sure that their Chief and Council’s receive formal training on their roles and responsibilities and that they receive a thorough understanding of expectations as they embark on new responsibilities. It is important that members of Chief and Council understand how First Nation government works and that they remain committed to working within the rules that govern their conduct.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
One of the tools used by economists to evaluate individual projects is known as a cost-benefit analysis. The purpose a cost benefit analysis is to determine whether or not a project has a positive value when you compare the income stream to the costs of development and on-going operations and maintenance. Typically cost benefit analyses are performed for large industrial projects and sector specific projects such as power plants, transmission lines, factories, warehouses, etc.
Engagement, Consultation and Accommodation Protocols
Over the past twenty years there has been a distinct shift in the way in which First Nations, industry and government interact with one another when it comes to project development and management. In the past decade our firm has prepared a number of engagement, consultation and accommodation documents for both the private sector and First Nations. We have learned that it is important for anyone who wants to engage in large scale development must ensure that they understand the need to properly engage and accommodate First Nation. It is also important for First Nations to be able to explain to potential developers, future business partners and government what it is that they expect from developers so that the ground rules are clear and both parties can arrive at a compromise for working together for the benefit of all concerned.
Impact Benefit Agreements
As larger projects have become more commonplace in the traditional territories of First Nation what has become equally more important is that First Nations have a meaningful place in the project paradigm. Too often in the past First Nations were left out of the economic cycle created by large projects, however, over the past twenty years there has been a definitive shift towards fulsome participation. Our firm has been involved in creating impact benefit agreements for clients involved in small regional projects as well as those who have been involved in very large projects that would have a global footprint and impact.
Funding or Program Applications
From time to time First Nation are overwhelmed with other First Nation management activities and don’t have the time to prepare and submit an application for funding or for access to a specific program. Over the past twenty years our firm has been involved in numerous application process including funding for education, economic development, infrastructure, strategic initiatives, consultation programs, etc. In addition we have prepared numerous applications for First Nation with respect to energy projects including Ontario Feed-in-Tariff program and the former Non-utility Generators program.
Electoral Codes and Election Services
As a consulting firm we have been involved in all aspects of elections including running elections on behalf of the First Nation, running by-elections, in a past life being appointed by the Court to conduct an election. Outside of being directly involved in elections we have also been involved in the creation of an election code and conducted referendums on behalf of First Nations. We have over the past decade developed a lot of information and election materials and we are certain that if you are in need of some advice we might have the answer you are looking for.
Project Financing
The need for project financing support is becoming increasingly more important as access to capital tightens during these economic times. Our firm has a number of relationships with key lenders and works closely with lenders to position projects for financing as they move through the development process. It is important that you can work with your advisors with confidence and that they have the knowledge and expertise to negotiate a fair and equitable financial package on your behalf and can work with your advisors or with their own to make sure that you are properly represented in your discussions with respect to project financing.
Project Management
Our staff has over seven decades of combined project management responsibility including managing projects that are relatively small, less than $25,000,000 to participating in projects that have exceeded several hundred million dollars. Our staff has worked on complex projects on behalf of their employers as well as working on large projects on behalf of clients in the energy, transportation, mining and forestry sectors. Our staff has also been involved in projects that were complex and multi-dimensional and we have experience in assembling the right team to assist you with your project requirements.
Due Diligence
Getting information, access or other strategic knowledge is sometimes more difficult than it might appear. Our firm has been involved in providing advice to a variety of organizations and interests on a wide variety of matters including business partnerships, workability of relationships, personal references, financial reviews, market research, etc. We have been requested by First Nation, banks, corporations and law firms to conduct due diligence on their behalf.
Mediation, Arbitration and Litigation Support Services
Since our inception we have always been involved in providing services to law firms in support of their specific litigation requirements. Our firm has prepared economic reports and analysis related to specific losses or we have analyzed specific industries and provided advice with respect to economic and/or financial data that would be used in the generation of economic reports, mediation or arbitration reports. Our firm has also worked with other individuals including university professors to ensure that we provide you with the best possible report and opportunity to defend our findings and the results of our analysis. Over the years our reports have included industry analysis, loss of use analysis, historic loss analysis, personal injury reports, etc.