Happy Holidays! Our offices will open January 3rd 2024

Guy Lonechild was apart of the Indigenous Leaders Delegation that met with the Prime Minister’s Office November 28th, 2023. The purpose was for Indigenous leadership to engage directly with the Prime Minister’s Office on the National Benefits-Sharing Framework, and federal loan guarantee program for Indigenous participation in natural resource projects.  The work with the program is to be reflective of the federal governments intent to uphold Indigenous self-determination and economic reconcilliation.

“Bruce Power is launching an Advisory Panel that will consist of business, industry and labour leadership and present a report to Bruce Power on key items for consideration in parallel with the RFI timetable. […]Exploring the advancement of large new nuclear for the first time in a generation is an undertaking that requires long-term planning, open and transparent engagement with Indigenous communities and the broader region, and a robust process building on lessons learned from Bruce Power’s Life-Extension program and the last 20 years of worldwide GEN3+ nuclear power plant construction before any decision is made to proceed.” To read the full article click here.

We will soon be hiring an Energy Efficiency Coordinator, Chief Operating Officer, Director of Indigenous Engagement, and Memberships Manager.  Please send your information to info@fnpa.ca please use “Job Posting” in the subject line.

Follow up on our website and further newsletters for new job postings.

Saskatchewan is one of four Canadian provinces poised to lead a Canadian transition from large nuclear to SMRs, continuing our Canadian initiatives of generating clean nuclear energy for a carbon-free economy. The existing nuclear sector plays a key role in Canada’s economy contributing $17 billion annually while supporting 76,000 Canadian jobs.

Saskatchewan must now work with local suppliers to satisfactorily develop the skills, capabilities and resources required to pivot to an “SMR Ready” supply chain to successfully deploy SMRs. A robust SMR supply chain must include the participation of local Indigenous-owned companies.

To this end, The First Nations Power Authority (FNPA) together with the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI) and the Saskatchewan Industrial and Mining Supply Association (SIMSA) are sponsoring a “Ready4SMR” program in Saskatchewan. FNPA, OCNI, and SIMSA will work together to develop a strong and robust SMR supply chain across Saskatchewan, leveraging the existing manufacturing, assembly, design engineering and technology companies that exist today. Through the Ready4SMR program FNPA expects to convert multiple Saskatchewan based Indigenous companies into nuclear suppliers.

Ready4SMR will follow a two-phased approach to make the existing nuclear supply chain and other non-nuclear suppliers in Saskatchewan SMR Ready. This program will provide a path for Saskatchewan companies to adopt the business processes, quality management programs, and overarching “safety culture” required of qualified nuclear suppliers.

Phase 1 of the program will focus on training, education, and engagement with Indigenous suppliers across Saskatchewan. It will include initial consultation with Indigenous businesses followed by two one-day “Supplier Days” to provide information to companies interested in participating in the nuclear supply chain in Saskatchewan. These conferences will assist Saskatchewan Indigenous and Non-Indigenous companies interested in participating in the nuclear supply chain to better understand nuclear contractor requirements to help them determine if they would like to participate in a broader “Ready4SMR” program to become nuclear certified.

Phase 2 will shift from understanding skills and education to completing the required transitions to become qualified nuclear companies. This will include formal training opportunities, developed in concert with Saskatchewan’s universities and technical institutions that provide the necessary certifications required for nuclear certification. It will also include a mentorship program sponsored by FNPA in partnership with Canadian nuclear certified businesses to assist Indigenous owned businesses to achieve the required certifications.

To facilitate this process, FNPA will provide a database to track Indigenous suppliers who are working towards or have already achieved nuclear certification to track valid Indigenous contractors in this supplier development program in Saskatchewan.

FNPA’s portion of this program is modelled on lessons learned by FNPA with Indigenous engagement, Indigenous contractors’ requirements, existing skills within Indigenous contractors and the required skill sets for nuclear.

FNPA has received sponsorship to fund Indigenous community memberships in BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, and NB for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. If you are interested in bringing economic and sustainable energy opportunities to your community, please download the memberships form here or contact Rebecca Âcikahtê at  racikahte@fnpa.ca to learn more.

A community interested in power generation will have full control of the development process from the earliest planning stages through to final stages of development alongside our highly qualified team and Industry members.

Learn more

Join us here: 

• Saskatchewan Mining Supply Chain Forum – April 18 & 19, 2023 
• First Nations University of Canada Spring Celebration Powwow – April 22 & 23, 2023
• FNMPC’s 6th Annual IEE Conference: The Values Driven Economy – April 23-25, 2023
• Global Energy Show – June 13-15, 2023
• 7th Annual Indigenous Cleaner Energy Forum – June 26 &27, 2023

Join us as we power the pathway toward a clean energy future. Stay in the loop about upcoming FNPA events!

Events in our community