Meet Houston Barnaby (left) and Corey Mattie (right), Founding Partners of Indigenous Treaty Partners (ITP).
Houston and Corey both moved to Kjipuktuk (Halifax) to pursue university degrees and begin building their careers. Houston grew up in Listuguj, QC, where he witnessed firsthand the importance of working with government to find appropriate solutions that respect the inherent rights of the First Nations. In 2019, he became an Indigenous Rights Lawyer and worked to represent the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs for three years before launching and dedicating his efforts to ITP on a full-time basis.
Corey, hailing from Antigonish, NS, has a background in environmental stewardship and governance. With deep roots in Mi’kma’ki, he is an international advocate for environmental enhancement, social responsibility, and ethical business practices. As the demand for Indigenous consulting became more apparent, he too made the decision to pursue ITP as a full-time partner and entrepreneur.
ITP offers Cultural Awareness Training, Reconciliation Action Planning, Land Acknowledgement Support, and a range of speaking and consulting services. They work locally and internationally with businesses of all sizes, and recently turned their Professional Indigenous Ally Training modules into an online learning platform called MISKO, which includes both a Canadian and American version. To help build a path for young Indigenous professionals to enter a more Indigenized workplace, ITP offers many annual post-secondary scholarships and works with partners such as KBRS, Barrington Consulting Group, Ulnooweg Education Centre, Efficiency Nova Scotia, and the Health Association Nova Scotia.
ITP, one of Atlantic Canada’s premier Indigenous Consulting Group is based out of Purdy’s Tower (Upper Water Street), in Downtown Halifax, the largest city in Mi’kma’ki. Corey and Houston look forward to meeting and working with local businesses to help foster awareness and change through educational services, tailored to the unique needs of each client.
Visit their website at www.treatypartners.ca to learn more, make a donation to the ITP scholarship fund, sign up for their newsletter, or reach out to info@treatypartners.ca for inquiries.
Photo by Chris Geworsky