2021 President and CEO Report

When times got tough during the global pandemic this past year, it taught us lessons in teamwork, a commitment to family, and that the Canadian prairies is a good place to live, grow and prosper. On behalf of our dedicated team of professionals at FNPA, we are delighted to present this first-ever Annual Growth and Sustainability Report to our General Members, Board of Directors, Industry and Small Business Members.

Building forward-looking and resilient communities can only be done with hard work and a commitment to openness, transparency and consistency in what we do. At FNPA, we strive for business excellence adopting a core set of values that allows us to execute on opportunities. Building and sustaining trust amongst our General and Industry Members, funding partners and all that buy into our Indigenous-led vision will continue to serve as our roadmap for success.

It is entirely up to us how we choose to realize a more prosperous future. Over the next two construction years, four Saskatchewan First Nations are poised to deliver on two First Nations Opportunity Agreements resulting in five Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) through FNPA’s designed procurement processes. This vision is also being realized by chiefs of the Meadow Lake Tribal Council, who are leaders in business excellence, by signing their PPA to build the MLTC Bio-Energy Centre and reaching commercial operation in 2022.

First Nations are taking the FNPA vision into implementation in 2021-2022 by developing up to 50 MW of renewable and carbon-neutral technologies and First Nations are poised to deliver so much more. With the retirement of coal plants in Saskatchewan and Alberta, we believe that the aggregated cost structure of carbon taxes makes deployment from non-emitting clean baseload power and renewable energy resources more attractive.

Powering Our Future with SaskPower

While FNPA has been successful in laying the early foundations for success, we have faced challenges in attracting more sustainable, long-term funding agreements with strategic partners. This work has included extensive engagement negotiations with SaskPower to renew the 2012 Master Agreement to the new 2021 Memorandum of Understanding— First Nations and SaskPower Partnership Agreement, which will allow FNPA to facilitate and develop more substantial renewable energy projects in wind, solar, flare gas, biomass and waste heat recovery for the benefit of Indigenous communities.

We are committed to ensuring these new partnership agreements will provide a framework for First Nations building localized sustainable energy solutions contributing to a net-zero emissions and clean energy future by 2050.

FNPA shares in the burden of working towards this net-zero goal, and mutually addressing the challenges and opportunities in a safe, trusted and responsible way by:

1. A focus and strong commitment to building community capacity;
2. Result in better more localized decision-making;
3. Facilitating ownership and control of distributed energy systems; and
4. Accessing capital from various federal, provincial, municipal and industry partners.

Indigenous Services Canada

As foundational partners, Indigenous Services Canada has invested over $4.5 million through the Strategic Partnerships Initiative and the Lands and Economic Development Support Program we know that as we create more partnerships, more capital can be made available from combined resources across federal government partners. In 2020-2021, FNPA was successful in achieving a five-year commitment of block funding from Indigenous Services Canada, which is an organizational first. This will contribute to the operation of new Technical Services Advisory Group (TSAG) model developed to facilitate set-asides, as well as FNPA General Member (GMO) and, Industry Member (IMO) opportunities, and our Partnership Identification Process.

Natural Resources Canada

As the only Indigenous-governed organization in Canada with a mandate to support Indigenous participation in the renewable energy and power generation sectors, FNPA’s work has an increasingly important role to play to help build a pathway for Indigenous communities’ participation in the natural resource economy. With the mining, forestry, oil and gas sectors being responsible for employing two out of every three jobs to Indigenous peoples in Canada, FNPA will embark on building on our relationship to create new employment in the clean energy sector. FNPA will advocate for a First Nations / Indigenous Clean Energy Growth Equity Fund and engage Indigenous communities and key enabling partners in future stakeholder engagement initiatives.

We are a proud contributor to Natural Resource Canada’s SMR Action Plan and will help establish an Indigenous Advisory Council seeking long-term low GHG emissions development strategies with other Indigenous communities in partnership with provinces and territories. For more information please visit our website.

Environment and Climate Change Canada

In order for Economic Reconciliation to occur, FNPA believes that we must acknowledge our past, present and future. To do so, we must provide an opportunity for Indigenous worldviews to be shared and what current and future opportunities will be identified for Indigenous partners, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), provinces and territories for clean energy, renewable energy growth, energy efficiency and conservation.

Infrastructure Canada and Western Diversification

The Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) and Western Economic Diversification have been key to our success in Saskatchewan. Both of these federal partners have contributed approximately $60 million to First Nations renewable energy projects over the last two years and without this support First Nations and their partners would not have been as successful in achieving a return on investment suitable to all project partners.

First Nations Financial Management Board and First Nations Finance Authority

Building Independent Power Producer capacity will get a boost in the coming years as FNPA embarks on establishing the ‘FNPA Renewable and Clean Energy Development Group LP.’ This consortium of power developers will seek to become certified through the Financial Management Board and become an approved organization to access the bond markets for lower cost financing options for renewable energy projects.

The Path Forward

Gratitude is something we practice every day. As FNPA advances our 2018-2021 Operational Plan, we want to thank our strategic partners for a renewed and strengthened relationship for the benefit of First Nations and Indigenous equity ownership participation. We believe that there is still a long way to go in achieving even greater examples of how meaningful benefits and long- term relationships are built through energy transformation while building the case for environmental stewardship and protection.

FNPA is uniquely positioned to offer our members lasting benefits that dramatically change the way we imagine Indigenous communities in Canada. Vital to our success will be to continue doing our part in turning community aspirations into a global leader in sustainability, a national reality. By investing in clean technology and innovation, FNPA is your cost effective, renewable energy services provider that supports your vision of a clean energy future in Canada.

For further information on a list of our services and becoming a member, please visit our website at fnpa.ca, visit us at one of our western Canadian offices located in Regina, Saskatoon, and Calgary.