Indigenous Engagement

Nuna is the largest, majority Inuit-owned heavy civil construction, earthworks, contract mining and remediation contractor in Canada—one whose evolution is grounded in building sustainable opportunities for our partners and our Indigenous communities.

Inuit people in Nunavut

Nurturing Growth and Advancement

More than innovators on site, we’re changemakers in the community. We’re committed to cultivating Inuit, First Nation and Métis relationships by recruiting, retaining and maximizing employment opportunities. We have a proud track record of more than 40% Indigenous engagement on all projects. This includes:

  • Developing and nurturing relationships.
  • Recruitment, retention and advancement.
  • Collecting data and communications to monitor, report and ensure compliance with laws, international safety standards and engagement goals.
  • Integrating Nuna’s Corporate Indigenous Engagement Strategies into our performance management.
  • Promoting engagement through sponsorships, local event participation and site-specific cultural sensitivity training.

In recognition of Nuna’s service to Indigenous communities across Canada, we’re the proud recipients of many awards and accolades, including the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada’s “Skookum Jim Award for Aboriginal Achievement in the Mineral Industry” (2012), the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund’s “Corporation of the Year” award (2017 and 2021) and the Yukon First Nation Chamber of Commerce’s “Top Aboriginal Business of the Year, NWT” award (2016).

Supporting Local Communities

To foster growth and development, we believe in nurturing local relationships and offering skills that can be passed down from generation to generation. As we work in various geographic regions across a diverse range of communities and cultures, we take a consistent approach to supporting local businesses, integrating local labour resources, contributing to community events, building local partnerships and maximizing training opportunities for local people.

We recognize that each of our partner communities is unique and has its own distinct cultures, capacity and goals. We work together to foster strong relationships, learn what is most valuable to them and build mutual respect and trust, so we can meet each community’s objectives.

To promote inclusivity within our workforce, we brief each employee travelling to a project location with regionally specific information on the Indigenous communities within the area, including the traditional Indigenous territory and what makes the community unique. Having this introduction helps as we continue our efforts to hire Indigenous personnel from local communities.