The AIOC opened a new office on Tsuut'ina Nation, bringing more opportunities for Indigenous groups to invest in major projects.
A new office opened on Tsuut’ina Nation on Tuesday aims to bring more opportunities for Indigenous groups in southern Alberta to invest in major projects. The Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corp. — a Crown corporation started by the provincial government in 2019 — facilitates Indigenous investment and partnerships in Alberta’s major sectors, from agriculture and natural resources to technology and tourism.
Due to restrictions in the Indian Act, Indigenous groups are not able to use traditional forms of collateral to be approved for a loan. AIOC acts as a guarantor, providing up to $3 billion in loan guarantees to mid- to large-scale projects, allowing Indigenous groups to access loans more easily and at preferred rates.TC Energy signs deal to sell minority stake in pipeline to Indigenous groups Stephen Buffalo, AIOC’s board chair, described the organization as “probably one of the biggest game-changers” for Indigenous people in Alberta.Thanks for signing up!The next issue of Calgary Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox.“When our communities and settlements do well, the municipality does well,” Buffalo said. “When the municipality does well, the province does well — and that’s one goal, right there. But when the province does well, our country does well.” The new office, at Buffalo Run on Tsuut’ina Nation, is AIOC’s second office to open on a reserve — the first opened earlier this year on Enoch Cree Nation in Treaty 6. Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation CEO Chana Martineau speaks at a ribbon cutting for the new offices on Tsuut’ina First Nation on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025.“We are an Indigenous-led, Indigenous-staffed organization here to support Indigenous investment in our province,” said Chana Martineau, CEO of AIOC. “It’s really important that — both in fact and in reality — that we walk among the people that we serve every day. “We want Indigenous people to feel at home here, for them to come talk about the most pressing issues in their communities, and their dreams and hopes for the future, in an environment that is welcoming.”Martineau said AIOC’s ability to provide investment opportunities to Indigenous communities has been “transformational.” “We’ve closed nine deals, north of $740 million in loan guarantees — but that’s supported north of $1.5 billion in Indigenous investment,” she said. “Those investments are driving real returns into 43 communities in our province.”In addition to boosting local economies, facilitating Indigenous investment also allows for more independence for those communities. “This mechanism gives the opportunity for First Nations to get off the dependency of federal funding under the Indian Act,” Buffalo said. “I hope that this continues to go in a positive direction . . . and that they’re generating their own wealth and building their communities as they see fit.”“They’re trying to bridge a gap,” he said. “I think it’s tremendous.” Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation board member Stephen Buffalo speaks at a ribbon cutting for the new offices on Tsuut’ina First Nation on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025.Alberta’s rapid growth has created opportunities locally, as well, that span beyond Alberta’s major cities. “The Alberta government, led by both Jason Kenney and Danielle Smith, really recognized the economic power of that — to drive activity beyond the centres, into areas that really desperately need more economic growth — and that has caught the imagination of the country, and actually the globe,” Martineau said. “Our momentum is putting pressure on everybody else to actually translate into action, and we’ve seen that followed on by the federal government and others,” she said. “We are at the forefront of a wave of momentum that I think is almost unstoppable at this point.” Both Buffalo and Martineau said they hope Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly-launched Major Projects Office will provide more opportunities for Indigenous groups. “There’s a lot of economic opportunity ahead of us,” Martineau said. “The major projects that are coming from a nation-building perspective will provide opportunity, as well as challenge. “I hope that these nation-building projects are an ability for us to transform our economy in a way that Indigenous people are fully at the table, and we all thrive together.”
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Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation Opens New Office on Tsuut’ina Nation, Expanding Investment for Indigenous GroupsThe Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) inaugurated a new office on Tsuut’ina Nation, aiming to increase investment opportunities for Indigenous groups in southern Alberta. The AIOC, a Crown corporation, facilitates Indigenous investment and partnerships across Alberta’s major sectors. This expansion supports Indigenous communities in accessing loans and participating in economic development.
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