There are those who talk about economic reconciliation with First Nations. And there are those who act. One leader was Niilo Edwards, first CEO of the First Nations Major Projects coalition. Niilo died on Dec. 16. Here, Stewart Muir, founder and CEO of Resource Works, pays tribute:
On a January morning in 2018, as the winter sun barely lit the Victoria airport's White Spot restaurant, I had no inkling I was about to meet someone who would help reshape Canada's Indigenous economic landscape.
Niilo Edwards, fresh off an early Air Canada flight, carried with him not just a briefcase but a vision that would transform how First Nations participate in major projects across our nation.
In those first moments over airport coffee, Niilo laid out an audacious plan for his organization, the First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) — one that would challenge the very structures imprisoning First Nations' economic potential. His experience in Senator Gerry St. Germain's office in Ottawa had given him a unique perspective on power, influence, and the art of coalition-building.
Since his death, I've been reflecting on the outsized contributions he made. It is a story that must be told and understood.
Only a few weeks after our first meeting, the first FNMPC industry engagement event took place in March 2018 at the Prince George Civic Centre. Present alongside Niilo was FNMPC board chair Sharleen Gale, who was chief of the Fort Nelson First Nation at that time, and Gerry St. Germain.
A few tables laid out in the echoing expanse of the gymnasium — who could have predicted that from those modest beginnings, with just a handful of industry representatives present, would soon emerge a powerhouse that would eventually command the attention of Bay Street and global financiers?
This gathering also marked the beginning of a transformative journey of my own. That winter, I began filming interviews for what would become the Homeland Journey series: the story of First Nations finding paths suited to their own individual realities, toward dignity and self-determination, a process that inevitably raises profound questions about economic success.
By the summer of 2018, Resource Works mounted a road trip visiting First Nations communities across northern B.C. to hear and film what local leaders were saying about economic reconciliation. Niilo's vision perfectly complemented the emerging story we were capturing through our lens.
We sensed that something big was happening, and indeed it was. And in late 2019, Resource Works launched the Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase (IPSS), designed to broaden the conversation beyond major projects to reach all Canadians.
FNMPC became both a partner in our Resource Works mission and a partner in our IPSS, which plans to be back in 2026 as a vital platform where Indigenous communities and enterprise partners can work together for shared success.
Under Niilo Edwards, the FNMPC grew to include over 170 members, including elected First Nation councils, hereditary chiefs, tribal councils, and development corporations. They seek to advance participation and gain equity positions in the major resource projects in their territories.
FNMPC is active on 18 major projects located in three different areas of Canada, with a total capital cost of over $45 billion. The majority of these projects include an equity ownership component for First Nation investment.
For anyone wishing to understand economic reconciliation, it is first of all necessary to understand the culture of the 600+ First Nations of Canada, whose rights are enshrined in the Canadian Constitution.
Niilo and his colleagues demonstrated at every event the ways in which business and culture were intertwined.
FNMPC was, meanwhile, developing a deep and rigorous body of work identifying the ways in which systemic transformations could eventually, with patience and determination, trigger the changes needed to end poverty and restore economic health to First Nations across the country.
Great minds were drawn into the work. One of them was Mark Podlasly, who succeeded Niilo as CEO of the FNMPC.
When I first met Mark in 2014, after he returned from teaching at Harvard to take up the work of empowering his own people, I immediately felt the potential of this remarkable young scholar.
Warm and erudite, Mark's style was a counterpoint to Niilo’s directness, and really it was the two of them together, backed by a supportive board, who built up the organization to what it is today.
I vividly remember a pivotal lunch at Nightingale in Vancouver in October 2022, where Niilo and I met to review our mutual progress. His eyes sparkled as he revealed his next masterstroke — taking FNMPC's annual event to Toronto.
It wasn't just about changing venues; it was about shifting the centre of gravity of Indigenous economic participation. His vision was uncannily accurate. In 2023 and 2024, FNMPC was a large and growing force at its new Toronto location, with 1,500 people turning out last year.
Niilo was optimistic about his personal health struggles. Years of dialysis followed by a successful kidney transplant were taking their toll, but he never complained about the suffering he endured.
Our last meeting was in August 2024 at the Chateau Whistler. Post-transplant, Niilo was back to his old self, spinning plans for the future and expressing himself with characteristic bluntness and a quiet confidence masking the revolutionary impact he'd had on Indigenous economic reconciliation in Canada.
What strikes me now is how Niilo managed to be both disruptive and diplomatic at the same time, pushing boundaries while building bridges. He possessed that rare ability to challenge the status quo without creating adversaries — a skill honed in Ottawa's corridors of power.
From that first airport meeting to our final conversation in Whistler, Niilo demonstrated what determined leadership could achieve in just a few short years. The First Nations Major Projects Coalition's journey isn't just a story of organizational growth — it's a testament to one man's vision of Indigenous economic sovereignty.
Those who knew Niilo are still stunned, drained, and disconsolate
Today, as we continue to grapple with this profound loss, we're reminded that some lights, though extinguished too soon, leave an afterglow that continues to illuminate the path forward.
Niilo's legacy isn't just in the institutions he built or the deals he facilitated — it's in the thousands of relationships he forged, the barriers he broke, and the possibilities he opened for Indigenous communities across Canada.
The future of this country has always been bound up in the potential of Indigenous people to regain cultural health and success. But it took changemakers to give this shape, focus, and energy.
The grief flowing through our community speaks volumes about the impact of this remarkable young man who managed to compress decades of achievement into a brief but brilliant career.
In losing Niilo, we're deprived of not just a colleague or friend, but a transformative force in Canadian Indigenous relations. That is the continuation of his life force, and we're so much better off because of it.
- Niilo Edwards obituary: https://ow.ly/tw5050UEWI1
Stewart Muir is the founder and CEO of Resource Works