SEEKING BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS AND PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES WHAT WE DO • Shaft Sinking • Raise Boring and Raise Excavating • Mine Construction and Infrastructure • Mine Development and Rehabilitation • Mining Engineering Services and Design • Contract Mining www.dmcmining.com WORKPLACE SAFETY NORTH’S PRESIDENT’S AWARD RECIPIENT Photo courtesy of BHP incorporating Rio Tinto’s “Mine of the Future”™ technology SEEKING BUSINESS a framework to move forward on business development, procurement, employment and training initiatives. “We recognize the value of engaging local Indigenous communities and ensuring they reap the benefits of the anticipated economic growth from our current and future operations,” says Scongack. “That’s why we’re committed to investing our efforts – and those of our suppliers – to supporting Indigenous involvement in our supply chain.” PROCUREMENT IN THE CITY The City of Toronto is an example of a municipality that has champi- oned stronger Aboriginal participa- tion in its procurement process. Recently, Toronto launched its Social Procurement Program to create project opportunities for underrepre- sented players like Aboriginal busi- nesses. The program is comprised of two components: workforce devel- opment and supply chain diversity. The latter promotes diversity among suppliers in the city’s supply chain and applies to divisional purchase orders that range from $3,000 up to $100,000. “Studies have shown that on getting to economic equity, Aboriginal and minority-owned businesses are more likely to create jobs in their communi- ties than [are] large corporations,” says Josefina Lopez, the city’s social procure- ment coordinator. “Through the procure- ment process, the city awards an average of $1.8 billion of goods and services, professional services, and construction services every year. Increasing opportu- nities for groups that may face barriers in accessing the labour market can also lead to further economic and social benefits for Toronto as a whole.” Toronto has also been a long-time champion of CCAB initiatives. It supports various activities run by the Council, i.e., webinars; helps to promote procurement opportunities among CCAB’s members; and participates in networking events. “All this support allows Aboriginal peoples with equitable access to compete for city procurement processes,” says Lopez. OPG, Bruce Power, and the City of Toronto represent just a sampling of business players turning the tide on Aboriginal procurement in the larger Canadian marketplace. That said, nationally, there is still much prog- ress to be made to ensure Aboriginal businesses have equal opportunity in the supply chains of Canadian corpo- rations and governments. Everyone stands to benefit from taking time to engage with Aboriginal communi- ties, as demonstrated through the leading examples of OPG, Bruce Power and the City of Toronto. “There are a lot of best practices out there to follow,” offers Jacobsen. “By establishing a clear vision for Indigenous procurement, setting achievable goals, and investing adequate time and resources in proactive engagement with Aboriginal businesses, that work will ultimately lead to successful outcomes and shared benefits for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners.” TRAILBLAZERS 24 A CCAB PUBLICATION 2018