b"CEO SPOTLIGHTTHE NORTHERN REVIEW REPORT LOOKS AT THE EFFECT OF THE DIAMOND MINE CLOSURE AND Its in the best interest of all CanadiansOTHER PENDING CLOSURES.HOW DID YOU COME TO BE when we have healthy, robust IndigenousINVOLVED IN IT?communities and corporations. Were seeingThat was something put together by multiple Indigenous groups that are that more and more when we talk aboutunderImpactBenefitAgreements Nation-building projects and advancing new(IBAs)withthediamondmines ourselvesattheTchInvestment mines and diversifying our economy. Corporation (Tch Nation), Deton Cho (Yellowknives Dene First Nation), North Paul Gruner, Tch Investment Corporation Slave Mtis Alliance, and Denesoline (utslK'DeneFirstNation).We came together to look at how we can proceed forward to make the most of the benefits we receive.Indigenous communities over the pastTHE TARIFF SITUATION CHANGES three decades. One of four mines in theFROM DAY TO DAY, BUT IT SOUNDSWHAT WERE THE REPORTSregion has already ceased operations,LIKE THE CURRENT MARKETKEY FINDINGS?withtheotherthreeslatedtoshutCOLLAPSE IS EXPECTED TO BEIt'sanumbers-drivengame,and down over the next five years.PERMANENT. WILL IT GET WORSE? these mines are very impactful for the Indigenous Business Report recently satThat's the unknown, right? We've beencorporations and for the Nations. When down with Gruner to discuss the impactfollowing it very closely. If you look atwelookedatjustthethreegroups just the territory in general, diamonds Tch, Deton Cho and North Slave oftheseclosuresandothernaturalmake up over 20 per cent of the GDPMtis Alliancewith Tch and Deton resourcedevelopmentscriticalprofile for the territoryover a billionCho by far the largest, and Tch the minerals in particularin the region. dollarsand [the industry] employslargest of the threeit affects over over1,000locals.It'snotjustthe350 jobs, direct and indirect. Direct HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THEIndigenousgroupsorcorporations;beingwiththediamondmines,or ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF thisisamajorcornerstoneoftheindirect through corporations like ours, CRITICAL MINERALS MINING? territory's economy, so everybody is[including] about $20 million of funds, For Indigenous communities, I thinkobviously very focused on that. which is treated as core funding.it's very high. If you look at mining ingeneral,[theindustryis]the number one employer of Indigenous PeopleinCanada.Sowithcritical mineralsbeinginhighdemand,We are an Indigenous owned and you're going to extrapolate that downoperated company. We provide[it presents] a great opportunity forIndigenous-led cultural-based learning Indigenousbenefits:employment,circles/workshops centered around truth revenue and investment. and reconciliation, including the KAIROS Blanket Exercise. Our educational work is presented from an Indigenous THAT SAID, THE MARKET FORperspective and worldview.ROUGH DIAMONDS IS COLLAPSING. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS? Our goal is to create and foster healthy, respectful relationships between It'samultitudeofthings.SyntheticIndigenous and non-Indigenous people. diamonds have entered the market, butWe believe this begins with education you've also got a change in consumerand communication that is grounded in patterns. Are young people going tothe 7 sacred teachings. Msit NoKmaq.get a diamond ring for an engagement, or are they going to save up for a downScan here to learn more! Santeles Healing Circlespayment on their house? Fifty to 701-866-420-5672per cent of Canadian diamonds areinfo@santelesHC.comalso exported to the United States, sosanteleshealingcircles.comthere's also a tariff component that has recently come into play.Indigenous BUSINESS REPORT57"