Indigenous Projects – Attracting Investment
June 9, 2026 at 9:00AM PDT
Downtown Vancouver and Live Webinar
Indigenous Projects – Attracting Investment
June 9, 2026
Overview
Indigenous Nations have unprecedented opportunities for significant equity in historic major projects in Canada.
This conference will address any challenges that exist in attracting significant investment for financing Indigenous participation. What are the key issues and what do investors want?
Come and explore with the experts how to bridge the gap between smart investing and Indigenous opportunities - learn how your community can benefit!
Key Areas Addressed:
Upping the game - investors perspectives
Preparing your pitch to attract investors - what investors look for?
Deal structuring for success
Financing success stories
Financing options for indigenous equity
Indigenous projects and real estate development
Who Should Attend:
Indigenous government leaders and officials
Indigenous businesses, development companies, entrepreneurs and professionals
Federal, provincial and municipal government officials involved in Indigenous relations and/or resource development
Lawyers practising in the areas of Aboriginal law, Indigenous law, resource development and infrastructure
Accountants, business development professionals, financial planners, and others assisting First Nations with negotiations and business operations
Owners, managers and negotiators of resource development and infrastructure companies
Agenda
9:00 - Welcome and Introduction by PBLI
9:05 - Chair’s Welcome and Introduction
Mike McDonald, K.C., ICD.D, Founder and President, Mamaskatch Advisory
9:10 - Upping the Game - Investors Perspectives
Mike McDonald, K.C., ICD.D, Founder and President, Mamaskatch Advisory
Types of Indigenous Businesses and Projects – Who are they and what are their concerns?
Institutional Investors
Off-take Investors
Venture Capital and Private Equity
Government Backed Lenders
What are the Issues
Unique Indigenous Issues
10:00 - Questions and Discussion
10:10 - Refreshment Adjournment
10:25 - Preparing Your Pitch to Attract Investors - What Investors Look For?
Questions investors ask
Value propositions
Return on investment
Role of First Nation Finance Authority?
Role of Canadian Infrastructure Bank?
11:15 - Questions and Discussion
11:25 - Deal Structuring for Success
Sharon G. K. Singh, Partner and Co-Head of Indigenous and Environmental Practices, MacMillan Law Firm
Unique First Nations Business Structures
Components of a fair deal
Addressing Certainty
Timelines, exits, managerial control, dilution
Equity structures and options
Financing opportunities real?
First Nations structuring their business interests?
12:15 - Questions and Discussion
12:25 - Networking Lunch
1:25 - Financing Success Stories
Clint Davis, CEO, Cedar Leaf Capital Inc.
Sean Willy, Des Nedhe Group
Story of Cedar Leaf Capital
Partners of Cedar Leaf Capital
Projects and Investments
Indigenous Owned Investment Advisory: Unique Issues
What makes sense?
Maximizing value for all participants
2:15 - Questions and Discussion
2:25 - Refreshment Adjournment
2:40 - Financing Options for Indigenous Equity
Bill Lomax, President and CEO, First Nations Bank of Canada
Institutional investment
Insurance companies
Pension funds
Foundations
Private equity firms
First Nations Banks and Capital
3:30 - Questions and Discussion
3:40 - Indigenous projects and Real Estate Development
Michael Hungerford, CEO, Seven Generations Capital
Opportunities on First Nations Lands
Unique Tax Opportunities
4:40 - Questions and Discussion
4:50 - Chair’s Closing Remarks
5:00 - Program Concludes
Meet the Chair
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Founder and President, Mamaskatch Advisory
Business and Strategic Advisory with expertise and decades of experience in Regulatory, Business, Resources, Environmental and Indigenous contexts from 35 years expertise in Indigenous, Business, Mining Law, and leading, negotiating and structuring some of Canada's more significant Major Project Agreements.
Current Boards include BC Hydro, Jameson Resources (ASX), and NWP Coal.
Past Boards and appointments: SFU Board of Governors, Cheam Enterprises (Cheam First Nation), World Vision Canada, Law Society of BC Truth and Reconciliation Working Group.
Awards and Recognition: Lifetime Achievement Award for Indigenous Business (2025 from Canadian Council for Indigenous Business), Special Recognition Award (2024 from Canadian Bar Association (BC) Aboriginal Lawyer's Forum), Alumni Builders Award (2018 from UBC), and appointed Queen's Counsel (now K.C.) in 2018.
Mike is a member of the Peguis First Nation through his father Merv McDonald and his mother Verna (nee Campbell) is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation.
Meet the Faculty
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CEO, Founder and Partner, Seven Generations Capital
Michael is a member of the Gwich’in First Nation and is passionate about promoting the well-being of Indigenous peoples through initiatives in Indigenous economic development. These investments are designed to be institutional quality achieving market returns while at the same time creating meaningful outcomes to improve the well being of Indigenous communities in various areas, including income and wealth, work and job quality, housing, knowledge and skills, community engagement, and environmental quality.
Michael has over 20 years of experience in real estate investment, management and development. He leads Hungerford Properties, a family real estate investment business with over $1.6B of assets under management and development. During his career, Michael has proudly built an organizational culture and team of professionals which has consistently delivered industry leading projects across a wide range of asset classes and geographies.
Michael currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, and Mississauga of the Credit Business Corporation. He previously served on the Board of Directors for both the BC Cancer Foundation, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, and the BC Chapter of NAIOP. In 2009, he was recognized as one of Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 Under 40. Michael is currently a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and holds a Managing Broker License from BCFSA, a Bachelor of Political Science from Queen’s University, and a Masters of Business Administration from Stanford University.
Michael lives in Vancouver and raises his hands to the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations for caring for these local lands since time immemorial.
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President and CEO, Des Nedhe Group
Sean Willy was appointed President & Chief Executive Officer of Des Nedhe Group in August 2017. During that time, Sean has taken Des Nedhe to a national stage, growing into new business sectors and reducing their reliance on just the resource sector, while at the same time maintaining high levels of Indigenous employment and managing some tough economic conditions.
Sean, a Denesuline, is a member of the Deninu Kue FN. He brings an understanding of the expectations and needs of Indigenous people. Growing up in a mining household, he experienced life in communities across the Canadian Shield – from the Northwest Territories to Nunavut to Alberta to Saskatchewan.
He believes in the potential of Des Nedhe to serve English River members now and for generations to come.
In his career Sean has developed and implemented some of the most innovative Indigenous Inclusion and CSR strategies for companies such as Rio Tinto and Cameco Corporation. He has always strived to ensure Indigenous peoples are seen as a full partner in long-term relationships. This led to Sean building partnerships in Australia, the United States, and throughout Canada.
Sean is a board member for TELUS Corporation, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities Saskatchewan. He is a past board member of Green First Forest Products, past Co-Chair of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, a past member of Indigenous Works and recently sat as a member the Canadian government’s Indigenous Innovation Housing Committee and the Indigenous Advisory Committee on Small Module Reactors.
Sean has two children and lives with his wife Melissa in Saskatoon.
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President and CEO, First Nations Bank of Canada
Bill Lomax is a member of the Gitxsan Nation. Bill grew up in Terrace, B.C. and studied in Vancouver before heading south to spend 22 years working on Wall Street and in Private equity in the United States.
As a graduate of UBC’s law school, Mr. Lomax began his career as a lawyer facilitating land claim negotiations for the British Columbia Treaty Commission. After obtaining his MBA at Columbia University, he later worked for the Canadian Federal Department of Justice before entering the investment sector in the United States, working for firms such as Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs.
Lomax believes the First Nations Bank of Canada will be a catalyst to create economic growth that is inclusive and sustainable in Indigenous Nations and communities. His deep experience in the US will serve him well. He worked with Native American Tribes across the US and was entrusted with managing multi-billions in Indigenous assets over the course of his career.
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CEO of Cedar Leaf Capital Inc.
Clint is the CEO of Cedar Leaf Capital Inc., the first Indigenous majority-owned investment dealer in Canada that will act as a bridge for greater participation of Indigenous people, businesses, and communities in capital markets. Clint’s career path has certainly not been linear. He was a lawyer in his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was a federal public servant and advisor to two different cabinet ministers. Clint also led Indigenous banking at two financial institutions: first at the Bank of Montreal and later at TD. He was the CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, the preeminent Indigenous business association, and later set up the advisory firm North35, where he attempted to establish an Indigenous Infrastructure Fund, a first-of-its-kind fund aimed at furthering investment into Indigenous communities.
Frequently turned to for insights into Indigenous business and economics, Clint has been a featured expert in major media such as APTN, CBC, BNN, and the Globe and Mail, and he’s a former blogger for the Financial Post. He was recognized for his contribution to Indigenous business with the Indspire Award in the Business and Commerce category, the highest honour awarded to an individual by the Indigenous community. He was installed as an Hon. Lt. Col of the Queen’s York Rangers, an Army Primary Reserve Canadian Armoured Corps regiment based in Toronto and Aurora.
A graduate of Harvard University, Clint holds a master’s of public administration degree in business and government policy. He was also a Canada–U.S. Fulbright Scholar. Before earning his master’s degree, Clint completed his Bachelor of Laws in Indigenous, business, and criminal law from Dalhousie University and his Bachelor of Business Administration from Acadia University. In 2015, Clint was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by Acadia University. Clint is an Inuk from Nunatsiavut, Labrador, born and raised in Goose Bay.
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Partner and Co-Head of Indigenous and Environmental Practices, MacMillan Law Firm
Sharon Singh advises sponsors, investors, and developers across the full lifecycle of major capital projects. Her focus areas include regulatory, Indigenous, environmental, and sustainability matters.
Sharon brings nearly two decades of experience across infrastructure, mining, renewable energy, manufacturing, and agribusiness sectors. Her background includes in-house counsel experience at an international mining company, which informs her practical approach to complex project delivery.
She is known for helping clients de-risk large, capital-intensive projects and navigate legal, policy and regulatory issues that affect bankability, timelines, and long-term value.
Sharon structures projects and governance arrangements involving Indigenous partnerships, joint ventures, and other commercial arrangements. She leads federal and provincial environmental and regulatory approval strategies, and advises on sustainability issues relevant to institutional investors and lenders.
Sharon is active in the community, including serving on the board of the British Columbia Energy Regulator and CKNW Kids Fund.
Registration Form
Program:
Indigenous Projects – Attracting Investment
Date:
June 9, 2026
Location:
UBC Robson Square (800 Robson Street - Classroom level), Vancouver, BC
Registration:
The registration fee is $990.00 plus GST of $49.50 totalling $1039.50 for webinar and in-person attendance. Registration fee covers your attendance at the program and electronic materials. In-person attendance includes a catered lunch and refreshments throughout the day.
Early Bird Discount:
Register by May 11, 2026 and receive a $100 discount on the registration fee ($890.00 plus GST). Discounts cannot be combined.
Group Discount:
Register four persons from the same organization at the same time and you are entitled to a complimentary fifth registration. Discounts cannot be combined.
If you would like to register a group, please fill out this form and email it to registrations@pbli.com:
Payment:
You may pay by VISA, Mastercard or cheque. Cheques should be made payable to the Pacific Business & Law Institute and mailed to Unit 2-2246 Spruce Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 2P3. Please do not send cheques via courier with signature required.
When and Where:
Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. The program starts at 9:00 a.m. (PDT). UBC Robson Square is located at 800 Robson Street in Vancouver, BC, and our event will take place on the classroom level. Please visit https://robsonsquare.ubc.ca/find-us/ for directions.
Materials:
The faculty will prepare papers and/or other materials explaining many of the points raised during this program. Materials will be distributed electronically. Please contact us at registrations@pbli.com if you are unable to attend the program and wish to purchase a set of materials.
Cancellations/Transfers:
Refunds will be given for cancellations (less a $60.00 administration fee) if notice is received in writing five full business days prior to the program (June 2, 2026). After that time we are unable to refund registration fees. Substitutions will be permitted. We reserve the right to cancel, change or revise the date, faculty, content, availability of webinar or venue and transfer in-person registration to webinar registration for this event.
To register by phone:
Telephone us: 604-730-2500
Your Privacy:
We will keep all information that you provide to us in strict confidence, other than to prepare a delegate list containing your name, title, firm and city for our faculty and the program delegates. We do not share our mailing lists with any non-affiliated organization.
Course Accreditation:
Attendance at this course can be listed for up to 6.5 hours of continuing professional development credits with the Law Societies of BC and Ontario. For practitioners in other jurisdictions, please check your governing body’s CPD requirements.
If you would like to register a group, please fill out this form (DOWNLOAD FORM) and email it to registrations@pbli.com (*This form is for registrations of 5 or more and cannot be combined with any other promotions/discount codes.)
For individual registration, please continue with form below.