Across Canada, the conversation about how energy projects engage with Indigenous Nations and Communities is changing. What once focused primarily on short-term benefits, has evolved into something much deeper - long-term partnerships that create lasting economic opportunities and shared prosperity.

For Tracy Primeau, a former nuclear operator and industry leader with more than three decades of experience in Canada’s nuclear sector, that shift represents an important step forward. Primeau, a proud member of the Nipissing First Nation, recently facilitated an Indigenous learning session in the Peace Region focused on building knowledge and capacity around nuclear energy and the Canadian nuclear industry.  

Her message is clear: meaningful partnerships today go beyond traditional approaches.

“If you’re building something on someone’s traditional territory, Indigenous Nations need to have a seat at the table from the very beginning,” Primeau explains.

That seat at the table can take many forms. It includes education and employment opportunities, but increasingly it also means procurement contracts, business development and equity participation in projects themselves.

Primeau notes that this approach reflects a broader transformation underway across the country. New financing tools and investment programs - including those designed specifically to support Indigenous participation in major projects - are creating opportunities that simply did not exist in the past.

“What’s exciting today is that there are new tools and financing available that allow Indigenous Nations and Communities to take ownership stakes in projects,” she says. “That creates something incredibly important - the potential for intergenerational wealth.”

As Primeau explains, for many Indigenous communities, that concept resonates deeply. The idea of planning and building with future generations in mind has long been part of Indigenous worldviews.

“In our communities we often talk about thinking seven generations ahead,” says Primeau. “Ownership, procurement businesses, construction companies - these opportunities can create economic benefits that last for generations.”

At the same time, she emphasizes that meaningful partnerships must begin with something much simpler: relationships. She often reminds organizations that engagement cannot start with a proposal or project plan. Instead, it should begin with listening and understanding.

“Meaningful engagement starts with face-to-face conversation,” she says. “You have to go to communities, introduce yourself and take the time to build relationships. Sometimes those relationships take years to develop - but that’s how trust grows.”

That trust creates the foundation for more productive conversations about opportunities, impacts and long-term partnerships.

For Energy Alberta, the early conversations taking place in the Peace Region are an important step in that process. They create space to share information, answer questions and learn directly from Indigenous leaders and community members.

As Primeau puts it, the goal at this stage is simple: start the conversation. When projects are shaped through early dialogue, collaboration and shared understanding, they have the potential to deliver benefits that extend far beyond construction timelines.

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