Answering the challenge of SDG 8: The pursuit of meaningful employment for Indigenous Communities

When Gary Bosgoed launched his own project consulting firm in 1992, transitioning from a successful professional engineer into his own boss, he had a realization: There was an underdeveloped resource right in front of him.

“When I started working on projects in Traditional territories, I was confused that they weren’t designed to include Indigenous people,” he says almost thirty years after the inception of Bosgoed Project Consultants (BPC). “The first project we did, the contractors we hired were five percent Indigenous. I knew the capacity of the community we were working with and I knew that needed to change.”

As a member of the Peepeekis Cree Nation in southern Saskatchewan, the effort to include Indigenous communities in the projects that impact their lives has motivated Bosgoed throughout his career. In BPC’s first season, he made a plan to offer one hundred percent of his contracting work to Indigenous communities. “We were fifteen percent cheaper and bringing eighty percent of Indigenous workers, instead of five,” he remembers. “It was an excellent opportunity to utilize local resources and get young Indigenous people involved in career-building work.”

The program to provide meaningful opportunity to Indigenous workers solidified into the WorkFirst Community Engagement Program, a practical approach to employment that continues to offer one hundred percent of opportunities to the Indigenous workforce. Over the past three decades, Bosgoed and his team have delivered more than 130 projects through WorkFirst, from preliminary planning to project completion. Indigenous workers comprise at least eighty percent of the workforce for each project.

 “WorkFirst takes a standard way of doing things and turns it upside down,” affirms Bosgoed.  “Before contractors build their teams, they go into the community to offer work to Indigenous workers. We want Indigenous workers to be treated equally, as access to decent work is incredibly instrumental in shaping a young worker’s sense of purpose and identity.”

As a reflection of the University’s ongoing commitment to highlighting Indigenous scholarship, reflected in its Situated Knowledge, Indigenous Peoples and Place (SKIPP) initiative, UAlberta International has invited Bosgoed to relate the philosophy and impact of WorkFirst to UN SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth during I-Week. 

“Through WorkFirst, more Indigenous workers are available to the community and the region, resulting in higher levels of employment,” Bosgoed will share during his 17-minute presentation. “I see less income assistance, more supplier arrangements and partnerships, and more economic growth. I’ve had people come back to me 20 years later thanking me for the confidence they gained from the first project we hired them to complete.” 

Bosgoed’s commitment to inclusive, high-quality services has built trust with hundreds of clients across Canada and raised over one hundred million dollars in working capital. He’s travelled as far north as Nunavut, west to British Columbia, and east to Ontario to tackle projects in oil and gas, mining, infrastructure, and waste treatment. He doesn’t mind the travel—he’s just happy to provide meaningful opportunities for Indigenous workers. 

“We’re doing a ten million dollar project right now with one hundred percent Indigenous workers, and I credit the team for their efforts to make it work,” he shares. “I can’t live in this community and not do this kind of work. These are my family members and I know what they’re capable of. I’ve never been disappointed.”

Bosgoed will share his insights on SDG 8 and WorkFirst at his Global Goals Talk on Wednesday, February 3^rd. The full showcase of speakers can be found here.