MediaRelease FORIMMEDIATERELEASE|WednesdayAugust9,2017

CanadianHistorianDr.KenCoatesnamedasrecipientofCCAB’s2017AwardforExcellenceinAboriginalRelations

TORONTO—August9,2017—TheCanadianCouncil forAboriginalBusiness(CCAB)isproudtoannounceDr.KenCoatesastherecipientofthe2017AwardforExcellenceinAboriginalRelations.Dr.Coatesisbeinghonouredforhisdeepunderstanding of past and present realities surrounding Indigenous peoples,togetherwithhiscompellingideasaboutCanada’sfuture.

“KenCoatesistrulyanoutstandingadvocateforIndigenouspeoples.,CCABishonoured he is our 2017 recipient of theAward for Excellence inAboriginalRelations.HisacademicinsightsonIndigenousissuesishelpingshapeindustryand government approaches to building sustainable business relations withIndigenous peoples. His wealth of knowledge informs and enriches allCanadians.Asanorganization,welookforwardtocelebratinghislife’sworkandachievements.” saidJPGladu,President,andCEOofCCAB

Dr.CoatesisaprofessorandCanadaResearchChairinRegionalInnovation,JohnsonShoyamaGraduateSchoolofPublicPolicy,UniversityofSaskatchewan,andMunkSeniorFellowwiththeMacdonald-LaurierInstitute.HebringshisexperienceinEastAsiaandaroundthecircumpolarworldtobearonhisunderstandingofCanada’sstrengthsandweaknesses. In2015,CoateswaselectedasaFellowoftheRoyalSocietyofCanada.Heiswellversedinthedevelopmentofconsideredpolicy which directly connects Indigenous, rural, remote and northern communities and regions with universities,governments,andbusinessinrespondingcreativelytoglobalopportunities.“Asanacademicandpubliccommentator,Ihavebeenimpressedforyearswiththecommercialandentrepreneurialspiritthathasre-emergedinIndigenouscommunitiesacrossCanada.ItisanenormoushonourtoberecognizedbytheCanadian Council for Aboriginal Business, the flag-bearer for this remarkable and sustained capacity and wealth-building enterprise, for my work in encouraging collaborations and partnerships between the private sector,government,andIndigenouscommunities.”–Dr.KenCoates,CCABAwardforExcellenceinAboriginalRelationsRecipient

Dr. Coates has worked with Indigenous peoples and organizations and with government agencies responsible forAboriginalaffairsacrossCanadaandinNewZealand,NorwayandAustralia.Heassistedwithlandclaimsresearchandparticipated in a variety of national and international collaborations, including serving on the Research AdvisoryCommitteeoftheRoyalCommissiononAboriginalPeoples.HewastheDirectoroftheInternationalCentreforNorthernGovernance and Development, which provided regionally-relevant research focused on northern Saskatchewan and

CanadianHistorian,Dr.KenCoateshasbeennamedastherecipientofCCAB’s2017AwardforExcellenceinAboriginalRelations.

deliversacommunity-basedMaster’sprogramonNorthernGovernanceandDevelopment.HeisalsotheDirectoroftheMacdonald-LaurierInstitute’sresearchprojectonAboriginalPeoplesandtheNaturalResourceeconomy.The Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Relations recognizes an individual— Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal—who hascontributed, through professional and voluntary commitments, to building bridges between Aboriginal peoples andCanadiansociety,makingasubstantialimpactacrossallsectors,socially,culturally,andpolitically.TheawardhighlightstheeffortsofpeoplewhohavebeenambassadorsinworkingwithAboriginalpeoplesandcommunities.Dr.KenCoateswillbehonouredatCCAB’s15thAnnualVancouverGalaonSeptember28,2017.Formoreinformationonthegalapleasegotohttps://www.ccab.com/events/2017-annual-vancouver-gala/

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AbouttheCanadianCouncilforAboriginalBusiness(CCAB):CCABiscommittedtothefullparticipationofAboriginalpeopleinCanada’seconomy.Anationalnon-profit,non-partisanassociation,CCAB offers knowledge, resources, and programs to both mainstream and Aboriginal owned companies that foster economicopportunitiesforAboriginalpeopleandbusinessesacrossCanada.AboutDr.KenCoates:KenCoatesistheCanadaResearchChairinRegionalInnovationattheJohnson-ShoyamaGraduateSchoolofPublicPolicy,UniversityofSaskatchewancampus.KenwasraisedinWhitehorse,Yukon,andhaslong-standingprofessionalandpersonalinterestsinAboriginalrights,northerndevelopment,northernCanadianhistory,science,technologyandsociety,andJapaneseStudies.

FormoreinformationonCCAB,goto:https://www.ccab.com/FormoreinformationonKenCoates:http://www.kencoates.ca/________________________________________________________________________________________

Formediainquiriesortorequestaninterviewpleasecontact:StellaNescaMarketingandCommunications(p)416-961-8663ext.241(e)snesca@ccab.com