Community Engagement Mining and Resources โ Phase 2
Summary
The Indigenous Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is seeking the expertise of a Project Consultant to assist us to design and implement an engagement plan to complete a mining readiness assessment of pre-identified Indigenous Communities in Manitoba to assess their interest, capacity, priorities, needs, opportunities, and existing assets related to mining and critical mineral development in Manitoba.
Overview of Indigenous Chamber of Commerceโฏย
As the โVoice of Indigenous Business in Manitobaโ, The Indigenous Chamber of Commerce (ICC) represents businesses and organizations that are Indigenous owned and managed that provide support or services to our community and play a significant and relevant role in the economic development of this Province. ICC is there to assist in the collaboration as we act as an advocate for Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses working with the same objective of economic reconciliation.โฏย
The ICCs vision is thriving Indigenous businesses in Manitoba and the growing Indigenous economy, with a mission to grow the Indigenous economy by strengthening member success through networking, education, leadership, and advocacy.โฏย
Project Overview
This assessment information will inform key aspects of a project proposal is putting together under the Strategic Partnerships Initiative (SPI). SPI is an internal federal mechanism intended to increase economic development opportunities for Indigenous peoples by coordinating federal efforts around shared priorities and stimulating partnerships between federal and non-federal partners within key sectors of the Canadian economy. The SPI proposal in development is focused on the mining sector in Manitoba and will support Indigenous communities in benefiting from the increasing mining activity in the province.ย ย
This statement of work has two objectives: initiate the engagement process with communities that may access funding through this initiative and gather data that might be helpful in project development for communities once funding becomes available.โฏโฏย
Objectives/Project Components
1. Community Engagement
The process should embed meaningful engagement practices. Engagement for this initiative will strengthen existing relationships with Prairies Can and create new relationships with Indigenous communities. With a goal to maintain these relationships in the long term through ongoing engagement practices. In addition to building relationships, the process will also result in several community insights that might inform project identification for this initiative. Such insights might include:โฏ
- Community perspectives/attitudes towards mineral development.โฏ
- Community priorities related to mineral development.
- Challenges and opportunities, from the communityโs perspective, related to mineral development or participation in mining projectsโฏ
- Project opportunities and ideasโฏ
2. Community Readiness Research
The goal of this research is to gain a detailed understanding of key issues and opportunities for communities around mining. More specifically, this research will:โฏ
- Assess current community readiness to engage in economic opportunities related to mining.
- Provide information that supports prospective project proponents in evidence-based project development.โฏโฏย
Community readiness profiles should be created that illustrate communities/regions overall readiness to participate or engage in mining activity. The community profiles may include information such as:โฏ
- Community perspectives and attitudes around mining activityโฏ
- History of relationships between the community and industryโฏ
- Current perspectives around mining in the communityโฏ
- Existing relationships or agreement with mining companiesโฏ
- Mining knowledge/familiarity among community leaders & current governance structuresโฏ
- Current level of mining literacy/familiarity among community decision makersโฏย
- Decision making structure as it related to mining projects (governance)โฏย
- Administrative capacity to carry out negotiations and other partnerships with mining companies.โฏโฏย
- Assessment of available workforce within the community/region
- Data on existing workforce/job readiness within the communityโฏโฏย
- Availability of/existing training and/or work-integrated-learning experiencesโฏย
- Summary of key issues, challenges and opportunities related to workforce development.โฏโฏย
- Assessment of current community infrastructure/assets
- Assessment of existing local and regional infrastructureโฏโฏย
- Existing community owned assets & facilities that may present opportunities to support mineral development (e.g. facilities, buildings, Airports/airstrips, etc.)โฏโฏโฏย
- Broader challenges and opportunities related to community infrastructure, housing, and community considerations related to work camp establishment.โฏ
3. Identifying Opportunities for Project Development
Following the completion of profiles, the successful individual or firm will provide recommendations for project development opportunities. This could involve strategic suggestions on workforce development, capacity building, business development, or infrastructure investments based on the findings from the community readiness profiles.โฏ
Existing Research
There are examples of complementary work that should be reviewed and considered in this project including but not limited to work by the University College of the North; Future Skills Center; and there is a completed report for Phase 1 of this project.ย ย
Duration of Contract
Anticipated start date February 2024 with a final completion date of February 2025.
Capabilities and Professional Traits
ย The successful individual or firm will possess the following capabilities and traits:โฏย
- Significant experience working with Indigenous communities in Manitoba, either in an engagement, research, or project-based capacity;โฏโฏ
- Knowledge of natural resources sectors, in particular, mining;โฏโฏย
- Well-developed ability to research and synthesize complex information;ย
- Demonstrated ability to present findings in a clear and concise manner, in writing; and,โฏย
- Ability to communicate effectively with a range of partners and stakeholders (oral and written).โฏย
Proposal Submission
Interested consultants are invited to submit their proposals by 4pm on February 7th, 2024.โฏThe proposal should include the following:โฏ
- An overview of the consultantโs background and relevant experience in community engagement and resource assessment.โฏย
- Detailed timelines and milestones for the completion of the project.โฏย
- A breakdown of the fees and expenses required.โฏย
- References from previous clients for similar projects.โฏย
- Availability to work on this project (any constraints on your time in the upcoming year)โฏย
Timeline
- RFP Issuance: January 24, 2024โฏย
- Proposal Submission Deadline: 4pm on February 7, 2024โฏย
- Consultant Selection and Notification: February 12, 2024โฏย
- Tentative Start Date: February 19, 2024โฏย
Contact Information
For questions and submission of proposals, please contact:โฏย
Rhonda Forgues
Manager@indigenouschambermb.ca
General Managerโฏ
Indigenous Chamber of Commerceโฏย
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