Reports and
published work.
Original research, advisory reports, and publications on governance, water security, First Nations employment and compensation, and the forces reshaping how decisions get made in Canada and beyond.
The Northern
Equation
The Northern Equation is Governing Water’s flagship publication on the forces shaping Canada’s North. Governance, water, sovereignty, infrastructure, and Indigenous self-determination. Each issue is built for leaders who need to understand what is actually happening up there and why it matters for the rest of the country.
It is not a summary of what others are saying. It is original analysis grounded in fifteen years of direct work across the North, with Inuit communities, northern governments, and organisations navigating the specific pressures that come with governing in remote, resource-rich, and historically underserved places.
Equation
First Nations Jobs
and Compensation
An advisory report on employment, compensation structures, and workforce development inside First Nations organisations and governments across Canada. Built for chief and council, HR leads, and governance professionals who need evidence-based guidance on what fair, defensible compensation actually looks like.
What elected leadership in First Nations communities is paid across Canada, how structures vary by community size and mandate, and how to build a compensation policy grounded in evidence rather than precedent alone.
Salaries, benefits, and compensation frameworks for band administrators, program managers, directors, and frontline staff, benchmarked against comparable public sector and non-profit roles.
How Indigenous governance bodies, land committees, advisory boards, and treaty organisations compensate members, and what accountability structures support those decisions.
The capacity and retention challenges facing First Nations employers, and which compensation and workplace strategies are making a measurable difference in communities across Canada.
Compensation structures that reflect community values and support Indigenous hiring priorities.
Comparing First Nations compensation against federal, provincial, and non-profit benchmarks.
How compensation decisions intersect with obligations under the First Nations Fiscal Management Act.
Frameworks for nations operating under modern treaties where public sector models do not apply directly.
Available to First Nations organisations, governance bodies, HR professionals, and tribal councils. Reach out to request a copy or to discuss a custom compensation review for your organisation.
Request the Report →“Evidence-based governance is not a luxury for well-resourced organisations. It is a basic standard that every community deserves, and one that Governing Water is committed to making accessible.”
Questions or a custom
engagement?
All reports are available on request. For custom compensation reviews, governance advisory, or anything else, reach out directly.