Careers

Title: Treaty #3 Tourism Strategy
Due: July 24, 2026

1.0 BACKGROUND

Treaty #3 Mandate:

Protecting the future of our people by ensuring the protection, preservation, and enhancement of Inherent and Treaty rights

This is achieved by advancing the exercise of:

• Inherent jurisdiction
• Sovereignty
• Nation-building and;
• Traditional Governance

With the aim to preserve and build the Anishinaabe Nation’s goal of self-determination.

We accomplish these goals with Treaty/territory wide approaches in cooperation with communities, Tribal Councils and organizations who work with the Anishinaabe in Treaty #3.

Within the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3 our technical staff:

• Employ strategic approaches
• Develop capacity building plans to match self-government priorities
• Link political direction and programs through policy development and law making for a national system.
• Propose implementation options for the realization of a National Vision
• Promote new ways of doing business
• Provide policy and administrative support to the network of programs and services that operate in the Anishinaabe Nation
• Promote efficient, effective, transparent, and accountable Anishinaabe services
• Identify gaps and work to reduce gaps and overlap
• Act as a Secretariat to the National Assembly and Grand Council
• Provide administrative support to Chiefs committees

2.0 OUTLINE OF PROJECT

Grand Council Treaty #3 (GCT#3) has initiated a project to develop a comprehensive, community-driven Tourism Strategy that supports long-term, sustainable economic development while honouring Anishinaabe culture, language, governance systems and relationships to the land.

The strategy is intended to support Treaty #3’s self-determination and Nation-building by ensuring tourism development is community-led, culturally grounded, environmentally responsible, and reflective of Anishinaabe values, laws and principles.

The project will support the development of tourism opportunities that strengthen local capacity, reinforce community ownership and decision-making, and create long-term benefits for Treaty #3 communities.

The successful applicant will complete a two-year project that seeks to accomplish the following through community engagement, market research, and feasibility analysis that outlines ways to:

1. Develop a comprehensive, Nation-wide Treaty #3 Tourism Strategy that identifies priority tourism opportunities while safeguarding cultural values, sacred sites, and community interests
2. Engage and collaborate with all 28 Treaty #3 First Nations through meaningful sessions that gather local knowledge, assess community readiness, and map tourism assets across all Four Directions
3. Ensure the tourism strategy reflects Anishinaabe governance and law by following guidance from Elders, Youth, Women, Men, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Councils, ensuring alignment with the Four Directions Governance Model and Anishinaabe Inaakonigewin
4. Conduct feasibility studies and market research to evaluate opportunities such as cultural tourism, land-based experiences, eco-tourism, regional tours, and community-led initiatives, including assessing potential negative impacts of tourism and identifying strategies to mitigate social, cultural, and environmental risks
5. Identify investment opportunities, partnerships, workforce needs, and economic impacts to support sustainable tourism development across Treaty #3
6. Strengthen workforce and community capacity by identifying training needs, developing skills pathways, and supporting community readiness to participate in and benefit from tourism initiatives
7. Develop a cohesive Treaty #3 tourism brand and marketing approach that shares Anishinaabe stories, values, and teachings
8. Provide transparent reporting and leadership oversight through regular updates
9. Help prepare Treaty #3 for long-term economic growth by establishing a strong foundation for sustainable, community-driven tourism development
10. Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework that identifies measurable indicators related to economic growth, community participation, cultural preservation, environmental stewardship, and tourism sustainability for ongoing feedback, reporting and continuous improvement
11. Develop a phased implementation approach that identifies short-term, medium term, and long-term priorities for tourism development, including community readiness, pilot initiatives, infrastructure needs, capacity-building opportunities, and pathways toward sustainable growth.

All tourism development recommendations must prioritize community benefit, cultural integrity, and long-term Treaty #3 leadership and participation in tourism governance and development.

3.0 FEES FOR SERVICE

Proponents shall propose hourly, daily, block and/or fixed fees as they deem appropriate. All fees and expenses must be clearly outlined in the proposal and supported by a detailed budget.

The total professional fees for this project shall not exceed $20,000 per year. Proposals exceeding this amount may not be considered.

4.0 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Firms/consultants submitting bid packages should be sensitive to the potential for conflicts of interest that may prevent their retention by Grand Council Treaty #3. All potential conflicts must be disclosed in any bid package. Whether a conflict of interest is sufficient to prevent retention of a proponent is in the sole discretion of Grand Council Treaty #3.

5.0 REQUIRED CONTENTS OF THE BID PACKAGE

• Detailed Project Proposal: Clearly outline a proposed approach to delivering the project, including:

a. A comprehensive work plan covering community engagement, research, feasibility studies, and strategy development

b. Proposed methodologies for engagement with all 28 First Nations, including how local knowledge and perspectives will be respectfully gathered and incorporated

c. An approach to conducting market research, feasibility studies, and assessing both opportunities and potential negative impacts of tourism, along with mitigation strategies

d. A detailed project timeline with key milestones and deliverables

e. A clear and itemized project budget

f. Proposed approaches for monitoring, evaluation, and performance measurement, including how community feedback, environmental impacts, cultural considerations, and economic outcomes will be tracked over time

g. A proposed phased implementation approach outlining how tourism development could be advanced over time, including early-stage opportunities, long-term development considerations, and approaches to sustainability and community readiness

• The name, address and contact person for the firm, along with a brief description of the firm’s/consultants main areas of business and experience.
• The name(s) of the person(s) within the firm/consultant who propose to do the work, along with their curriculum vitae and a description of relevant experience.
• The names and telephone numbers of two clients who can provide references,.
• Disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest.
• Identification of any experience working with First Nations and/or First Nation organizations. Experience in Treaty #3 is preferred but not required.

6.0 EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

At minimum, the successful proponent will be expected to provide the following deliverables as part of the Tourism Strategy project:

• A comprehensive Treaty #3 Tourism Strategy document
• Community engagement summaries and findings
• A Nation-wide tourism asset and opportunity inventory
• Market research and feasibility analysis
• Recommendations for tourism governance, partnerships and investment opportunities
• Workforce development and capacity-building recommendations
• A Treaty #3 tourism branding and marketing framework
• Sustainability and environmental stewardship considerations and recommendations
• A phased implementation roadmap with short-term, medium-term, and long-term priorities
• A monitoring and evaluation framework with measurable performance indicators
• Final presentation to GCT#3

7.0 SELECTION CRITERIA

The evaluation criteria may include, but not be limited to, the following (not in any order of importance)

• Assessment of responses to the RFP
• Assessment of the completeness of the RFP package
• Number, qualification/expertise and past experiences of the individuals who would be conducting the work for the contractor
• Knowledge/familiarity with working on behalf of a First Nation client
• Cost effectiveness of proposal
• Finalist interviews (if any) at the discretion of Grand Council Treaty #3
• Information obtained through references
• Lack of conflicts of interest

All packages submitted with the requirements will be reviewed and evaluated. Grand Council Treaty #3 reserves the right to select a bid based on written material only.

Firms responding to this RFP may be requested to provide additional information or address specific requirements not fully explored in their initial submissions.

Grand Council Treaty #3 reserves the right to reject any RFP submitted.

8.0 SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Firms/Consultants wishing to submit a bid package must prepare a package containing the required materials and send in electronic format on or before July 24th, 2026 to:

Hailey Krolyk, Senior Strategy and Innovation Manager
Phone: 1-807-464-0713
Email: Hailey.krolyk@treaty3.ca

PDF – Request for Proposals – Treaty 3 Tourism Strategy