Posted: Apr 04, 2021 6:00 AM AT | Last Updated: April 4
Members of the Red Sucker Lake First Nation celebrate the official sod turning for their recreation centre.(Jeff Provost/Bird Construction )
A growing number of construction companies across Canada are putting time and money into starting their own Indigenous relations departments to help improve how they work with Indigenous communities and possibly address a coming labour shortage.
While the duties of each department vary from company to company, many look to employ Indigenous workers, hire Indigenous subcontractors, and collaborate with Indigenous leaders to plan construction projects.
There are no hard numbers on how many companies have started these departments, but many large construction firms have, according to Mary Van Buren, president of the Canadian Construction Association.