Origin offers opportunities

By Rick Garrick

Biigtigong Nishnaabeg citizen Byron LeClair is working on employment opportunities for Aboriginal people and Aboriginal business development after partnering with Origin Operator Recruitment and Training in September 2016.

“There are a lot of companies doing business in traditional territories, mining companies, forestry companies, that have targets for Aboriginal employment,” LeClair says. “We recognize that as an opportunity to help some of those companies meet those employment targets by providing them with a single-window source for Aboriginal labour.”

LeClair says making connections with company executives requires a “lot of hard work” by himself and Origin partners Melissa Hardy-Giles, a Red Rock Indian Band citizen, and Paul Giles.

“We’ve spent many months and many hours meeting with mining companies, meeting with those companies that have those goals, explaining to them what the intent of Origin is and how we go about doing our community engagement,” LeClair says. “Of course we can’t tell a company that we can provide them with Aboriginal labour unless we have Aboriginal labour that is available.”

LeClair says Origin had 20 employees at the end of last year and is aiming to have about 50 employees this year and about 150 employees next year.

“Origin has organically grown from specifically the (CAT heavy equipment mobile classroom) simulators and discovery packages,” Hardy-Giles says. “We still offer that but now it’s obviously taken a huge leap forward with the labour supply (component). Origin now provides a complete solution by recruiting, training and employing Aboriginal labour.”

Hardy-Giles says that LeClair brings plenty of experience and contacts with him to Origin.

“He has 30 years of experience with the energy and forestry industries and he’s got different networks than we do as well, but we share the same vision when it comes to wanting Aboriginal people to have more opportunities and be self-sustaining,” Hardy-Giles says.

LeClair and Giles have also been working on an Aboriginal business development component for Origin.

“There are a lot of construction companies, energy companies and mining companies in the territory that are looking to establish strategic partnerships with First Nations,” LeClair says. “Origin provides that type of advisory capacity to companies that are looking to establish those relationships. Paul and I have extensive networks. We’ve been to most of the communities in the northwestern Ontario region, even the remote north, in one capacity or another.”

LeClair says Origin looks at engagement opportunities with companies that are committed to employment, training First Nation members, education, revenue sharing and cultural sustainability.

“We want to do business with companies that are prepared to promote activities that contribute to cultural sustainability, like can they contribute to funding community hunting camps or language camps or traditional activities like wild rice harvesting,” LeClair says. “Those companies that embrace that ideology to me are legitimately concerned with developing a bonafide Aboriginal business development program. Right now some of our clients are working towards those ultimate partnerships that result in economic benefits for the community but as well opportunity for the company.”

LeClair adds that Origin also works with First Nation communities that are looking for strategic partnerships with companies.

“It’s business development for companies and employers, but it is also business development for First Nations,” LeClair says. “Paul and I like to think that we are a plug-and-play interface for communities that need that capacity, so First Nations whose resources are stretched really thin are able to utilize our services and have a one-window economic development department ready to go working for them towards their projects.”