This month, members of our management team – Jamie DeGrace and Lori Carle – joined colleagues from Port Saint John, Envision Saint John, Saint John Energy, and the Atlantica Centre for Energy for Indigenous Reconciliation training.
It was a powerful and emotional experience that left all participants with a deeper awareness of the lived history of First Nations Peoples in Canada.
The training is offered by the Joint Economic Development Initiative, a leading Indigenous organization dedicated to working with partners to foster Indigenous economic development in New Brunswick.
It explored difficult but essential chapters in our country’s past, including the Sixties Scoop, residential and day schools, and the devastating reality that more than 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and communities.
For many of us, these stories were not taught in school. Confronting this truth is a necessary step toward healing and toward building relationships grounded in respect rather than assumptions.
When businesses take the time to learn, listen, and build relationships with Indigenous partners, it leads to:
- More inclusive workplaces, where employees feel informed, aware, and able to contribute to a culture of respect.
- Stronger community connections, built on trust, authenticity, and reciprocity.
- Better decision-making, supported by the context needed to engage thoughtfully with local First Nations.
- Shared economic opportunity, through collaboration, procurement partnerships, and supporting Indigenous-led initiatives.
At YSJ, we believe reconciliation is not just a national responsibility – it is a local one. We are all Treaty People, and as a community hub and employer, we have a role to play in strengthening understanding and trust.
YSJ plans to extend this training to our Airport Authority team so that we can all deepen our knowledge, reflect on our shared history, and work toward meaningful repair.
For more details on reconciliation training visit the Joint Economic Development Initiative website.