Indigenous governance at the centre
NIERI will be guided by the Indigenous Energy Resilience Council (IERC), an Indigenous-governed body that will provide oversight and direction for the initiative.
The Council is being formed to reflect the geographic, cultural, and infrastructure realities of Indigenous communities across Canada. Its members will bring lived experience from different regions, energy contexts, and governance traditions, ensuring that NIERI remains grounded in a diversity of Indigenous perspectives rather than a single model or voice.
The role of the IERC is to keep NIERI focused on reliability, community authority, and long-term outcomes, not promotion or technology preferences. The Council will not choose projects or vendors. It safeguards the integrity of the decision process itself. All final decisions remain with the communities involved.
A meeting place, early in the process
NIERI provides an Indigenous-governed space where communities, technical experts, and technology providers can sit at the same table and look at energy options together.
This happens early, when there is still room to compare approaches, understand trade-offs, and set priorities based on what works in remote and northern conditions.
Governance before technology
NIERI does not pick technologies or manage construction. Our role is specific and time-limited. Once the sequence is clear and decisions are made, we step back so communities and their partners can move forward.
When governance and priorities are clear from the start, technology decisions become easier, risks decrease, costs are lowered, and long-term reliability improves.
Protecting decision space
Indigenous communities deserve to make energy decisions on their own terms. That means having the information and time needed to truly understand their options.
NIERI exists to protect the space where energy decisions are formed.
Too often, communities are asked to respond to proposals before they have had a chance to gather independent expertise or fully weigh the trade-offs. NIERI helps keep that moment open, so decisions are made deliberately, not by default.
We work with Indigenous governments and technical experts to clarify what has already been decided, what is still open, and who holds authority at each stage. Sometimes this means writing things down plainly. Sometimes it means flagging when a decision is being made too early. The goal is to move forward with confidence, knowing the right conversations have happened first. When this sequence is missing, projects may move quickly but fail to deliver lasting reliability.
This pattern is documented across multiple public reviews and assessments.¹
Working alongside existing Indigenous expertise
Indigenous clean energy leadership already exists across Canada, including community practitioners, technical specialists, training organizations, policy leaders, utilities, and Indigenous-owned enterprises.
NIERI is designed to work alongside this expertise, not replace it. Our role is limited to clarifying decision conditions so communities and their partners can work together with a shared understanding of priorities, constraints, and authority.
When communities have a clear decision foundation, Indigenous technical and implementation partners are better positioned to do what they already do well. NIERI supports that alignment and then steps back.
From alignment to action
Early clarity makes everything that follows more effective.
When priorities and roles are established up front, deployment becomes more efficient. Communities can engage with funding on their own terms, focusing on opportunities that fit their needs. Proposals reflect community governance and real conditions, not external requirements.
When approaches prove successful in one community, others can choose to adapt them based on performance, not assumption. This can reduce costs, shorten timelines, and support local employment tied to system operation.
NIERI supports this work across different community contexts and energy systems. Communities retain full authority over their decisions.
Footnote: ¹ This pattern is documented across multiple sources, including reports of the Auditor General of Canada, the Canadian Infrastructure Council’s National Infrastructure Assessment, and Indigenous-led policy and research organizations. Background sources are available here.
Contributing to Canada’s manufacturing base, workforce, and economic stability, the strategic deployment of Canadian-made energy systems in First Nations communities supports local resilience, skilled job creation, and broader economic strength.
NIERI welcomes inquiries from Indigenous communities, governments, and partners interested in energy resilience, communications reliability, and essential services in remote and northern regions. We review submissions to better understand context and priorities and to determine whether and how NIERI may be helpful. There is no obligation or commitment implied by contacting us.