Our Team
Stewart Cameron
Owner & Director
Stewart Cameron has been a consultant in Aboriginal relations for many years. Leading to his combined experience in this field and in the oil and gas sector, Stewart served as Chief of Saulteau First Nation for 8 years. He also served as the Tribal Chief for the Treaty 8 Tribal Association. Stewart worked as a certified Journeyman Electrician for many years prior to his career in politics.
Mr. Cameron holds 40 years of experience operating in the oil and gas industry at various levels whether as a leader or consultant and has gained his extensive knowledge and competence in the industry in relation to employment and training practices, organizational development and environmental services. He holds his certification in Organizational Management and Program Development from NECHI Institute Alberta and his certification as a Journeyman Electrician from Kamloops College B.C.
Joel Melanson
LARR President
Joel Melanson is the President and founder of LARR Management Corporation. Joel specializes in Indigenous business start-ups, business development and contract negotiations. He has owned, managed and operated multiple companies that focused on hand and mechanical logging operations, sawmills, forest fire suppression, lumber brokering and general contracting.
As a senior level negotiator, Joel has negotiated Impact Benefit Agreements and Mutual Benefit Agreements on behalf of Chief and Council for First Nations throughout Western Canada. Joel has negotiated hundreds of millions of dollars in contract awards directed toward First Nations Business.
With 25 years of experience working in and understanding of the industry sectors in forestry, oil & gas, mining, and civil construction, Joel brings this wealth of knowledge and experience to First Nations and First Nation business. His strengths are advising in the bid process, best practice in contract negotiations, as well as consultation protocol and processes, which ensure successful partnerships with industry, government and First Nations companies. Speeding profitability, while conducting quality, safe work is Joel’s guiding mantra.
Jim Carbery
Director
Jim has worked as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent. He joined Syncrude in 1980, and in 1982 – 1995 was the manager of Aboriginal Programs. He was appointed C.E.O. for Fort McKay Group of Companies in August 1997 and served in that capacity until 2007.
In between, Jim served as a Catholic School Trustee for 9 years and for 12 years as a city councillor.
Shane Gottfriedson
Senior Advisor to Indigenous Relations British Columbia
Former Chief of T’kemlups Te Secewepmec and former Tribal Chief of the Shuswap Nation and former Regional Chief of British Columbia.
Shane goal as a leader was to advance economic development and change the social conditions of his people through creating business partnerships, that included job creation and revenues.
Through land and resource developments he signed and negotiated many deals from Mining agreement with New Gold Inc and Kinder Morgan Pipeline including Forestry and Range agreements also leasing Band lands and negotiations of lands in the communities traditional territory creating a win -win model in developing local and regional and national economy.
He also negotiated revenue sharing agreements with the Province of British Columbia Government on resources within the traditional territory.
The goal was always to create partnerships while maintaining stewardship and environmental stewardship over our lands by creating a understanding the right way to do business on First Nations traditional territory.
Paul Gibson
Advisor / Development & Real Estate
Paul began his career with Colliers International as an office and retail-leasing agent. After a few years of successful leasing, he joined Westcorp Properties as the Development Manager and focused on innovative mixed use, urban infill, transit oriented developments in Edmonton, Calgary, Kelowna and Winnipeg. Paul continued his development with ProCura Real Estate Services where he grew into the role of General Manager of Edmonton. Prior to starting Take Two Real Estate Paul co-founded RedBrick Real Estate Services.
Steve Hughes
Advisor / Construction
Steve Hughes is a development and construction executive with over 30 years of project experience. He served in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Combat Engineer for thirteen years. He has numerous deployments in conflict areas, weather disasters, aid to civil power events and search and rescue missions. His formal training is civil engineering technology with a structural specialty capped with a master’s in business administration.
Steve is a charter industry sponsor of an Industrial Research Chair in the Industrialization of Construction (est. 2008) at the University of Alberta.
Steve has over twenty years developing commercial, institutional and multi-family projects in Canada.
In Loving Memory
Cliff Supernault
Advisor / Government and Industry Relations
Cliff has thirty-two years in senior management with federal and provincial governments. As Assistant Deputy Minister in Saskatchewan, Cliff held portfolios in Municipal Affairs, Resource Development (Forestry, Fishing, Minerals), Economic Development and Uranium Mining. He spent several years as Indian Affairs District Manager in Saskatchewan. Twenty-two years in the Alberta Government, he moved up to Deputy Minister Level and specialized in Aboriginal affairs, economic development strategies, constitutional issues and negotiation of Treaty Land Entitlements. Cliff played a key support role in developing consultation policies both at Treaty 8 and the First Nations level. Cliff has facilitated Community Workshops on government roles on the licensing process (i.e. mineral lease maps and Public Land Sales and Tenure). He now consults and facilitates workshops on strategic planning and economic opportunities leading to business development for First Nations and Metis; Consultation Policies and Practices; Aboriginal historical and cultural awareness for both Aboriginal communities and industry developers to strengthen relationships.
Walter Janvier
Advisor / Community Relations
With a history of promoting social and economic development within the southern portion of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Walter worked closely with industry and government to develop Impact Benefit Agreements, which were successfully brought to fruition with companies such as Syncrude, Suncor, Cenovus, Meg Energy, CNRL, Conoco-Phillips, Statoil and ALPAC.
While serving as Chief of Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, Walter was also influential in the start up success of several local band initiatives many of which are still thriving today. Improving the infrastructure of his home community included upgrading the water and sewer for the health centre, daycares, schools and the community hall. Walter was also instrumental in the formation of what is now known as the Alberta Treaty 8 organization as well as the Athabasca Tribal Council.
Walter has extensive experience in the aggregate industry and owns a gravel and sand company focused on the oilfield and forestry industries in Northeast Alberta.
Chenez Maurice
Executive Assistant