Indigenous Relations and Support

For many years we have worked to support and engage respectfully with Indigenous communities. We value and respect the input we receive on our projects, community engagement and fostering knowledge in our workplace culture.

The Company hired a First Nations Sustainability Intern in partnership with Lennox Island and the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI (MCPEI). This position focused on building capacity and assisting with Sustainability initiatives across the organization as well as helping to expand our knowledge and understanding.

In 2020, Maritime Electric supported Dr. Amy Hsiao and the UPEI Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering’s FIRES initiative. FIRES focuses on the recruitment of indigenous students on PEI to the engineering program.

The Interconnection Upgrade Project in 2017 saw the installation of two new submarine cables across the Northumberland Strait between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick to help secure the Island’s energy future. The project was a collaborative partnership between the Government of Canada and the Government of Prince Edward. Maritime Electric was the construction agent for the Project in partnership with NB Power.

Consulting with communities, rights holders, stakeholders, fishers and the general public throughout the project was integral to ensuring that all those involved had timely and relevant information. Engagement was important in assisting all aspects of the project, as rights holders were able to provide valuable information that aided in moving the project forward. The Company had First Nations observers and workers on the Project both in New Brunswick and PEI, and the Project Coordinator was a First Nations leader.

Maritime Electric is the first company in the history of Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn to follow the New Brunswick Mi’gmaq Study Process Guide for Indigenous Knowledge Studies. Due to the respect Maritime Electric has demonstrated for Mi’gmaq values, the company has been thanked in the New Brunswick Indigenous Knowledge Report, an achievement the company is very proud of.

Together our employees are working to learn from our past and grow stronger together for the future.

A Children's choir sang O Canada in Mi'kmaq at the Energization Ceremony for the Interconnection Upgrade Project in 2017.