Pursuing mining initiatives in Indigenous communities requires balance – Penticton Herald

Darrell Beaulieu believes it’s a balancing act for Indigenous communities to prosper in the mining industry.

Beaulieu is the president and CEO of Denendeh Investments Incorporated, an Indigenous- owned corporation representing the 27 First Nations in the Northwest Territories. He’s also president of the Denendeh Mining and Exploration Company (DEMCo).

Beaulieu was in Toronto in early April as speaker at the two-day “Indigenous Led Projects Forum” held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.

Beaulieu was part of an opening-day session on April 2 titled Indigenous Ownership.

“There was a lot of mining and exploration over the last 200 years,” Beaulieu said. “But (Indigenous) people were never really involved.”

Yes, Indigenous people were occasionally hired to do the odd job in the mining industry, he said, “but 25-, 30 years ago, Indigenous people realized they were not getting a fair share of revenue being generated from mining in their territories. As our lives progressed, more Indigenous participation came in and people started creating businesses.”

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