Examples from across Canada illustrate the growing diversity of Indigenous partnerships in hydropower
OTTAWA, ON, June 25, 2026 — WaterPower Canada (WPC) today released Paths Forward: Indigenous Partnership Pathways in Canadian Hydropower, a new report exploring how Indigenous partnerships are evolving across Canada’s hydropower sector. Through stories of ownership, procurement, workforce development, and stewardship, the report highlights how Indigenous Nations and communities are increasingly participating in energy development as owners, employers, business partners, environmental stewards, and decision-makers.
“Canada’s hydropower facilities operate for generations, and the relationships that support them must be built with the same long-term perspective,” said Lorena Patterson, President & CEO of WaterPower Canada. “The stories featured in Paths Forward demonstrate how Indigenous partnerships are creating lasting value for communities, strengthening projects, and helping shape the future of hydropower across the country.”
The report features examples from across Canada that demonstrate the many ways Indigenous partnership is evolving within the hydropower sector. From Inuit ownership of renewable energy infrastructure in Nunavik to workforce development initiatives in Manitoba, Indigenous procurement partnerships in northwestern Ontario, and stewardship and cultural education programs in eastern Ontario, the stories illustrate that there is no single model for meaningful partnership.
More broadly, the examples reflect a shift toward partnership models that create opportunities for communities to influence, benefit from, and help guide energy development over the long term. They demonstrate how Indigenous Nations and communities are pursuing participation in ways that reflect their own priorities, circumstances, and visions for the future.
The report arrives at a time of significant growth and investment across Canada’s electricity sector. As governments, utilities, Indigenous Nations, industries, and communities prepare for major investments in generation, transmission, storage, and grid modernization, the examples featured in Paths Forward demonstrate how strong partnerships can support long-term project success while creating lasting benefits for communities.
While each story reflects a different community, region, and approach to collaboration, common themes emerge throughout the report: meaningful partnerships take time to build, extend beyond project delivery, and create benefits that reach beyond infrastructure itself. Many of the examples featured in Paths Forward support broader community priorities, including skills development, local business growth, cultural revitalization, environmental stewardship, and long-term economic participation.
Paths Forward: Indigenous Partnership Pathways in Canadian Hydropower builds on previous editions released in 2018 and 2022, continuing WaterPower Canada’s commitment to highlighting examples of collaboration, learning, and relationship-building across Canada’s hydropower sector.
Read the full report here.
About WaterPower Canada:
WaterPower Canada is the national voice of Canada’s waterpower industry. As a not-for-profit trade association, WPC represents producers, manufacturers, and developers who collectively account for more than 95 per cent of Canada’s waterpower capacity. The association advocates for the responsible development and use of waterpower to meet Canada’s current and future energy needs.
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Media Contact:
Paula Gray, Senior Director of Communications, WaterPower Canada, 613-608-8155, paula@waterpowercanada.ca