b'COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPSLISTENING & LEARNINGDespite the media circus that resulted from this one incident, BMOs history and legacy of working with Indigenous communities has been one of trailblazing and prece-dent-setting in the world of Indigenous banking. It started with CCAB founder and Lifetime Achievement recipient Ron Jamieson. Jamieson, a member of the Mohawk Nation from the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, is the former vice presi-dent of Aboriginal banking with BMO. His work led to closer Indigenous relations and an increased portfolio for the bank. He chose Stephen Fay to carry on this work.Fay, the BMOs head of Indigenous banking, first visited a First Nation in 2001, which viscerally brought home what was at stake when building significant rela-tionships. The community was in northern Ontario and was only accessible by air, and upon his arrival he was greeted by the Chief. During the tour of the commu-nity, the Chief showed Fay the site of the communitys last suicide. For many isolated First Nations, economic opportunity, infra-structure and access to technology are life and death issues, where delay and inac-tion can cost lives. I learned very quickly that using ears more than mouths is what builds these relationships, Fay says about his first years in the role. Fay attributes the banks success to the Stephen Fay, BMOs Head of Indigenous Banking (left), with Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark. Fay hascommunity building that has character-been instrumental in developing the BMOs relationship with Indigenous peoples for the last 20 yearsized his 20 years in his role as head of Indigenous banking. In his words, the guiding lightand backboneof BMOs strategy has been the PAR program. He also says that the need for communities to see representatives of large compa-nies such as BMO as people is vital to fostering long-term success. Fay, who is not Indigenous himself, has embraced the www.daniellehartleypr.ca mentality and behaviour that are essential info@daniellehartleypr.ca to bridging divides between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. You may not talk business on the first or even second engaging. relating. impacting. trip, but when you build that trust its wonderful, he remarks. DHPRhelps to bridge the gap between communities and industry by guidingFor over 20 years, Fay has worked tirelessly and teaching respectable and mutually beneficial engagement practices. Weto be visible and available to First Nations assist in building a solid foundation for Indigenous engagement within our clientacross Canada, from Northern Quebec to companies where cultural education and business practices become aligned. the West Coast. The first 10 years were not always easy, he says, as the world of DHPR supports companies as they build that strong foundation throughcorporate Indigenous relations was still in participation in the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program. its infancy: It was difficult, as there was no precedent.48A CCAB PUBLICATION2021'