Annual Golf Tournament a swinging success

The temperature was low but thankfully the camaraderie and community spirit were high at NAABA’s annual Golf Tournament on June 6. Despite the rain, hundreds of NAABA members from around the region came together for a double shot-gun day of networking, building relationships, and some healthy competition.

Golf is one of our largest fundraisers of the year and an essential part of our operations. Funds raised go directly towards NAABA operations, which allows us to continue providing programs, services and engagement events throughout the year – all with the objective to unite, advocate and support Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs in the region.

Tournament Winner: Canadian Overhead Door Services

Runner Up: Nighthawk Enterprise Ltd.

Best Dressed Team: D Jean Enterprises Ltd.

Corporate Spirit: Athabasca Tribal Council

On behalf of the NAABA Board of Directors and office staff, thank you to everyone for the tremendous support. Please mark your calendar for the 2025 tournament set for June 5.

Check out the event photos posted to NAABA YMM Facebook page.

NAABA News

A celebration of Indigenous history and culture in June

There are many ways to learn, engage, support and celebrate during National Indigenous History Month, and on National Indigenous Peoples Day - June 21. It's a time to honour the stories, achievements and resilience of Indigenous Peoples, who have lived on this land since time immemorial and whose presence continues to impact the evolving Canada.

Learn more about the national campaigns here.

The more you know:

125th anniversary of Treaty 8 signing

What is a Treaty?

The Numbered Treaties are a series of 11 historic agreements signed between the monarch of Canada (British Crown) and Indigenous groups from 1871 to 1921. These agreements were created to allow the Government of Canada to pursue settlement and resource extraction in the impacted regions, which includes modern-day provinces and territories. Through the Treaties, the Dominion of Canada gained large parcels of land in exchange for promises made to Indigenous people of the area.

Throughout history there are countless cases of Treaty rights not being upheld, or Indigenous groups being persuaded into signing. In 2021, Canada adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), to recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the agreements made through the Treaties.

What is Treaty 8?

Treaty 8 was signed on June 21, 1899. It is a treaty between the Crown and various First Nations of the Lesser Slave Lake area and is the most comprehensive of the 11 Numbered Treaties in Canada. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is on Treaty 8 territory.

Treaty 8 History

On June 21, 1899, the eighth treaty between the Indigenous People of North America and the Crown was signed. The signatories of Treaty 8 agreed to its terms for reasons of peace and friendship – ensuring what they thought would be a partnership.

Treaty 8 encompasses a land mass of approximately 840,000 kilometres and is home to 41 First Nation communities. Treaty 8 territory includes areas of Northern Alberta, Northwestern Saskatchewan, Northeastern British Columbia, and the Southwest portion of the Northwest Territories.

From firefighter to business owner

With more than 30 years of emergency response experience, Anthony Punko is using his life’s passion and expertise to offer specialized services and products in the Wood Buffalo region – and beyond.

Emergency Decon Solutions provides cleaning and maintenance for emergency response vehicles, decontamination of essential firefighting bunker gear, air respirator mask cleaning, and availability of heavy-duty disinfectant products. Anthony also has disinfectant solutions for a range of things from ambulances and public spaces, to oil sands vehicles and even sports equipment.

Although it started with decontamination services, Anthony has expanded his business to include more opportunities to service the region. He offers HEN specialty fire hose nozzles, fall protection gear cleaning and inspection, portable lighting solutions, and more. His services are designed to enhance the health and safety of emergency responders, oil and gas operations, and the general public.

As an entrepreneur and emergency responder, Anthony prides himself in providing products and services that keep people safe and healthy.

“It’s been a labour of love from the beginning. It started with me wanting to keep the people safe who are putting their lives on the line – our first responders – and my business has expanded to include a much wider audience in the Wood Buffalo region and beyond,” says Anthony, who also serves as NAABA Board of Directors member and is a Shared Services Client. “It takes a lot of hard work with long days and nights, but I’m so happy with the traction Emergency Decon Solutions is getting.”

Visit emergencydeconsolutions.ca to learn more

Bears' Lair Season 2: Ihkapaskwa Collective

Local Indigenous entrepreneurs Maddie Amyotte and Sheena Bradley, founders of Ihkapaskwa Collective, are not only bringing birth back to community, they’re aiming to shine a light on Indigenous health and wellness with their appearance on APTN’s Bears’ Lair on July 2.

Founding directors Amyotte and Bradley applied for the popular TV program in July 2023 and were chosen out of thousands of applicants across the country. They traveled to Vancouver, B.C., to film with the other contestants in September of that year.

The popular program showcases 18 Indigenous entrepreneurs from across Canada, as they pitch their business plans to ‘The Bears,’ a panel of Indigenous business moguls, as contestants aim to win $100,000.

“It has always been our goal to connect Indigenous communities with traditional birth practices. The generational healing of our nations can start with pre-conception all the way through the four quadrants of life,” says Maddie Amyotte. “The opportunity to present our exciting business plan and goal was an experience that we’ll carry with us moving into the future. We can’t wait to share this experience with our home community and beyond.”

The Bears’ Lair new season kicked off on June 4 and Ihkapaskwa Wellness Episode 5 will air on July 2. Please look for more details about a Watch Party, coming soon.

Visit Ihkapaskwacollective.com to learn more about the organization.

Member Benefits

Free mountain attraction admission for Indigenous families on June 21

The Pursuit Collection in Banff and Jasper is giving free admission to attractions in Banff and Jasper on National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, June 21. They are offering complimentary General Admission to the Banff Gondola, Lake Minnewanka Cruise, Open Top Touring, Columbia Icefield, Maligne Lake Cruise and Golden Skybridge to all Indigenous community members. Please book your tickets in advance by calling

1-866-606-6700 between June 17 - June 20.

On-site tickets are in limited quantities.

Memberships due for renewal July 1, 2024

Please login to the Membership Portal through NAABA.ca to submit required documents.

These documents are required once/annually each year to keep memberships in good standing. Invoices will be emailed.

Please email experience@naaba.ca for assistance

Downtown office space available now

The NAABA office has rental space available to our Certified Full Members.

To learn more, please contact

780-791-0478 or email ed@naaba.ca

Industry Insights

Business webinar to improve safety and earn WCB rebates

Join the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety’s Prevention Services branch for a free webinar designed to highlight how businesses can improve safety and earn WCB rebates. During this session government together with retail leaders will discuss how by implementing strong occupational health and safety management systems, you could be earning up to 20% in WCB rebates through its Certificate of Recognition (COR), or a Small Employer Certificate of Recognition (SECOR) program.

Focus on retail industry

Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Time: 10:00am to 11:15am

Location: Virtual-Microsoft Teams

For more information and to register click here

ConocoPhillips announces new Vendor Portal

ConocoPhillips is excited to introduce their new ConocoPhillips Vendor Portal, powered by Taulia. This is a free solution that offers vendors a real-time view into their payment remittance and will replace MyVendor Portal (MyVP). For more information on the program and transition, please visit the ConocoPhillips Taulia Portal Information website.

Save the Dates for NAABA

2024

AGM 2024 presented by Bouchier: September 19, 2024, at Shell Place
NAABA Christmas Luncheon – Making Spirits Bright: December 5 at the Fort McMurray Golf Course

2025

Indigenous Business Week: January 27 to Feb 1
Aboriginal Business Showcase: March 26 to 27
NAABA Golf 2025: June 5 at Miskanaw Golf Course

Sharing Circle

Does your business or organization have news to share with NAABA members? Please send your Sharing Circle news to communication@naaba.ca to include in future e-newsletters.

Fort McKay First Nation Trade Show: Coming up on July 30 at the Fort Mckay Arena. To confirm your spot, please register by June 19 and send confirmation to FMSDadmin@fortmckay.com

Fort McKay Treaty Days: Fort McKay First Nation is excited to announce our 2024 Treaty Days Experience on June 20-23, 2024, hosted in Fort McKay. Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the signing of Treaty 8.