The Firelight Group

What The Firelight Group does

The Firelight Group (now operating as Firelight) is an Indigenous-owned and Indigenous-led Canadian consultancy founded in 2010 by eight partners and headquartered on the Squamish Capilano 5 Reserve in West Vancouver, British Columbia. The firm delivers research, technical support, mapping, advisory, negotiation, planning, and capacity-building services to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis governments and organizations across Canada (Turtle Island), with secondary engagement of industry and government stakeholders involved in resource development. Service revenue is generated through custom, multi-year consulting engagements rather than standardized pricing.

Firelight operates six core service lines: Mapping & GIS (geospatial data collection, web GIS portals, drone/lidar processing, and digital story-mapping), Indigenous Health (holistic wellness research across mental health, maternal health, and cultural safety), Indigenous-Led Assessment (environmental and regulatory assessment for mining, hydroelectric, oil and gas, and infrastructure projects), Livelihoods (traditional land use studies and rights impact assessments), Indigenous Negotiations (Impact Benefit Agreement support), and Stewardship (environmental monitoring, Guardian programs, species protection, and land use planning). Underlying technology rests on industry-standard geospatial platforms (QGIS, ESRI, Google), augmented by proprietary resources such as the Mineral Assessment Tool (developed with the Keewatin Tribal Council) and the IBA Community Toolkit (co-authored with Ciarán O'Faircheallaigh), plus the Indigenous Maps platform that hosts the Indigenous Mapping Collective and its annual Indigenous Mapping Workshop, which has trained more than 2,500 Indigenous mappers since 2014.

The business is majority-owned by three First Nations co-owners from Ebb & Flow First Nation (Manitoba), Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in (Yukon), and Garden River First Nation (Ontario), with a co-leadership CEO/President structure and no disclosed private equity or venture capital ownership. The company operates from six Canadian offices spanning West Vancouver, Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Kahnawà:ke. Over 15 years, Firelight has delivered more than 2,000 projects to over 500 clients. Strategic partnerships include Apple (Indigenous representation on Apple Maps and Siri), the First Nations Major Projects Coalition (co-published primer on Indigenous-led assessment), the Keewatin Tribal Council (Mineral Assessment Tool), the Nunatsiavut Government (data governance framework), and the First Nations Technology Council (GIS training course). Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and pricing is delivered through bespoke consulting engagements rather than published tiers.

Name

The Firelight Group

Legal name

Firelight Research Inc.

Website

https://firelight.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Indigenous-owned Canadian consultancy providing research, GIS mapping, environmental assessment, Indigenous health, negotiations, and stewardship services to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis governments and organizations across Canada, employing over 100 professionals across six offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Consulting Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (115310)

SIC

Forestry (800), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Forestry & Indigenous Land Stewardship Services (IMAMAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildfire Risk Assessment, Prevention & Suppression Services (IMAMAJAG), Integrated Forest Health & Fire Management Planning (AFAMAEAK), Post-Fire Assessment & Rehabilitation (Erosion Control, Reseeding) (AFAMAEAH)

Keywords

• Indigenous consulting services
• GIS mapping services
• Environmental impact assessment
• Indigenous negotiations support
• Land stewardship planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: Research and technical support services provided to Indigenous Nations and organizations. Includes environmental assessments, traditional land use studies, policy development, negotiations support, and community planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Firelight is an Indigenous-owned and Indigenous-led consultancy providing research and technical support services to Indigenous Nations and organizations across Turtle Island (Canada). Its core offerings span six service areas: Mapping & GIS, Indigenous Health, Indigenous-Led Assessment, Livelihoods (traditional knowledge and land use research), Indigenous Negotiations (Impact Benefit Agreement support), and Stewardship (environmental monitoring and land use planning). The firm also delivers training through the annual Indigenous Mapping Workshop and develops free resources such as the IBA Community Toolkit and the Mineral Assessment Tool.

Product overview

The Firelight Group is an Indigenous-owned consultancy providing research and technical support services to Indigenous Nations and organizations across Canada. Rather than a single software product, the company offers a portfolio of interconnected service lines: Mapping & GIS (geospatial data collection and visualization), Indigenous Health (holistic wellness research), Indigenous-Led Assessment (environmental impact assessment support), Livelihoods (traditional land use and socio-economic research), Indigenous Negotiations (Impact Benefit Agreement support), Stewardship (environmental monitoring and planning), and Training programs including the annual Indigenous Mapping Workshop. The company also provides downloadable resource tools including the IBA Community Toolkit and Mineral Assessment Tool (MAT). All services are delivered through a community-centred, values-driven approach with a team of over 100 professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mapping & GIS Geospatial data collection, analysis, and visualization services including traditional land use mapping, community mapping, web GIS portals, and mapping training for Indigenous communities. Delivered for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nations across Canada.
• Indigenous Health Holistic health and wellness research services covering mental wellness, substance use, birth and maternal health, child welfare, cultural safety, and organizational governance for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.
• Indigenous-Led Assessment Environmental and regulatory assessment services supporting Indigenous Nations to lead their own impact assessments or participate in regulatory processes for major projects including mining, road building, hydroelectricity, and oil and gas development.
• Livelihoods Technical research support for Indigenous Nations to document ways of life, traditional land use and occupancy studies, socio-economic impact assessments, and rights impact assessments.
• Indigenous Negotiations Support for Indigenous Nations to negotiate and implement Impact Benefit Agreements (IBAs) with companies, including technical support, research services, and negotiation training.
• Stewardship Technical, strategic, and process expertise for rights-centred stewardship and planning, including environmental monitoring, Guardian programs, species protection, and land use planning.
• Indigenous Mapping Workshop Annual large-scale technical training workshop on mapping tools (Google, QGIS, ESRI) for Indigenous mappers, co-hosted by Firelight as part of the Indigenous Mapping Collective. Delivered annually since 2014.
• Mineral Assessment Tool (MAT) Decision-support tool co-developed with Keewatin Tribal Council that assesses which mineral projects are more likely to become operating mines and generate positive or negative impacts, helping Indigenous communities direct planning and negotiation effort.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ clients served over 15 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2025Co-published primer 'An Introduction to Indigenous Led Assessment: Key Considerations and Principles' supporting Indigenous Nations in exercising authority to lead their own assessment processes. Partnership supports FNMPC's 'Don't Tickety Box Me' campaign for Indigenous self-determination and responsible project development.
• AppleflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirelight worked with Apple to represent Indigenous lands, treaties, land claims, and place names on Apple Maps across Canada. Now working with Apple to incorporate communities' place names into Siri.
• Nunatsiavut GovernmentcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDeveloped organizational strategy and framework on governance of their data, including data lifecycles, ecosystems, and protocols for data generation, collection, organization, storage, archiving, access, sharing, and analysis.
• First Nations Technology CouncilcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLeading GIS course for the First Nations Technology Council's Foundations program, a 12-week exploratory program offered online. Introduces students to foundational knowledge for mapping traditional territories and pursuing GIS/GPS mapping careers.
• Keewatin Tribal Council (KTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with KTC to develop the Mineral Assessment Tool (MAT) in response to growing number of mineral projects affecting KTC Territory. MAT assesses which projects are likely to turn into mines and generate impacts.
• Indigenous Mapping CollectiveflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirelight hosts the Indigenous Mapping Collective and its annual Indigenous Mapping Workshop which has trained more than 2500 Indigenous mappers since 2014.
• Ciarán O'FaircheallaighcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored the IBA Community Toolkit with Ginger Gibson (Firelight). Professor at Griffith Business School specializing in negotiation of Impact and Benefit Agreements.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm specializing in water, environment, and sustainable infrastructure - delivers environmental impact assessments and Indigenous engagement support for major Canadian resource and infrastructure projects comparable to Firelight's offerings.
• GHD: Employee-owned engineering, environmental, and advisory consultancy with substantial Canadian practice delivering environmental assessment, Indigenous engagement, and approvals services to resource projects - comparable scope and mid-market positioning to Firelight.
• SLR Consulting: Global environmental and advisory consultancy (which absorbed Canada's Hemmera Envirochem) delivering environmental assessment, permitting, and Indigenous engagement support to resource and infrastructure clients - a direct mid-market analogue to Firelight's Indigenous-led assessment service.
• Wood Environment & Infrastructure (Wood Group): Global consulting and engineering firm providing environmental impact assessment, permitting, and community engagement services across energy, mining, and infrastructure - directly comparable service lines and Canadian project presence to Firelight.
• Arcadis: Global design and consultancy firm with substantial environmental practice delivering impact assessment, sustainability advisory, and stakeholder engagement services for major projects - competing for the same type of work as Firelight across Canada.
• AECOM: Global engineering and environmental consulting firm delivering environmental impact assessments, permitting, and Indigenous consultation services for major projects across Canada, including hydro, mining, and transportation - competing head-to-head for the same resource-project engagements as Firelight.
• WSP Global: Major Canadian-headquartered engineering and environmental consultancy with a dedicated Indigenous engagement practice delivering environmental assessments, land-use planning, and impact-benefit agreement support for resource and infrastructure projects - the closest large-cap analogue to Firelight's service portfolio.
• Stantec: Global Canadian-headquartered engineering and environmental consultancy providing environmental assessment, Indigenous engagement support, mapping, and regulatory services across mining, oil & gas, hydro, and infrastructure - directly comparable practice areas to Firelight, though much larger and not Indigenous-owned.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): Global pure-play environmental consultancy delivering impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, and ESG advisory to mining, oil & gas, and infrastructure clients - offers the same Indigenous and community engagement services as Firelight's Indigenous-Led Assessment practice at larger scale.

Direct peers

• Hemmera (SLR Consulting Canada): Canadian environmental consultancy (now part of SLR) historically known for environmental assessment, Indigenous engagement, and natural resource management work for BC and Canadian resource projects - the closest Canadian-headquartered mid-market direct competitor to Firelight in scope and client mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thefirelightgp
• Facebookfacebook.com/thefirelightgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-firelight-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/firelight.ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Firelight Group