b'THE TALKING STICKdemanding administrative jobs. Thoseand more about sustainability in a who either are unable to or who docommunity context. How do we grow not want to go to school beyond highour business and foster the values of school either dont want or cant achievecommunity that are so important to us as these jobs.Indigenous people? Its more challenging to find depend- Specifically, as an Indigenous IT firm, able,reliableyoungworkersthatwere often trying to break the tradi-employers can have confidence in. Itional procurement avenues with our believe my generation is one of theclients that limit Indigenous procure-last, for the time being, where you willment initiatives to resources like oil, hear about working at a job for 30 orgas, forestry, energy and mining. We 40 years until retirement. Its no fault ofare trying to grow awareness that theirs, but younger workers are oftenIndigenous procurement plans need not satisfied and just looking to get byto think about underrepresented areas until the next best thing comes along,MICHAEL HEBERTlike IT and engineering, where repre-and it costs a lot of money to constantlyChief Executive Officersentation is at or below one per cent. replace people who dont stick around.Turtle Island Technology Solutions Inc.It would be great to have more mean-ingful work back in the labour marketThis makes our biggest challenge and have good work ethics be a priorityA s I read LinkedIn, Im amazed at allgetting our foot in the door and finding once again. If anything, every schoolof the growth in the Indigenousclients that truly value reconciliation and grade should have a subject focusedeconomy across Canada. There are a lotare committed to Indigenous inclusion on social science or sociology so thatof entrepreneurs succeeding in variousin evolving fields like IT and engineering students can learn how the world works,different ways. For an IT company likewhich are pivotal for overall growth in how we work together, and the impacts.ours, the challenge is less about growthour communities. The next generation of credit ratings Insights and opinions that are timely, trusted, and transparentLeading coverage of Canadian Infrastructure,The next generation of credit ratingsPublic-Private Partnerships, and RenewablesExtensive experience working withInsights and opinions that are timely, trusted, and transparent the indigenous business community Leading coverage of Canadian Infrastructure, Public-Private Partnerships, and Renewables For more information on how we can work together, please contact:Extensive experience working with Ben Deutschthe indigenous business communitySVP, Global Business Development+(1) 647 632 2667 ben.deutsch@morningstar.comFor more information on how we Linda Leecan work together, please contact:SVP, Global Business Development+(1) 647 642 6982Ben Deutschlinda.lee@morningstar.com dbrs.morningstar.comSVP, Global Business Development+(1) 647 632 2667 ben.deutsch@morningstar.comLinda Lee72A CCIB PUBLICATIONSpring 2025SVP, Global Business Development+(1) 647 642 6982linda.lee@morningstar.com dbrs.morningstar.com'