b'INDSPIRE SUPPORTERSTRUE NORTHBy Sarah B. HoodIan and Judy Sutherlands Tachane Foundation is committed to Indigenous education in the NorthT achane means North,just retired, as of last week! sayswith for so many years. We and the idea of the NorthJudy Sutherland.wereand probably still arethe is a thread that connectslargest private-sector employer of Ian and Judy Sutherlands businessNow the couple and their threeIndigenous people in Canada, says history, their Tachane Foundationsons, Rusty, Derek and James,Ian. We serve First Nations and and their strong relationshipand even the oldest of their sixInuit communities in the Arctic, with Indspire. grandchildren, have more time toso our community base is largely devote to a foundation. What IIndigenous. Thats why were Ian Sutherland is the past CEOappreciate most is that Judy andfocused on that community.and Chairman of the North Westmy sons and daughters-in-law are Company, which operates retailtaking responsibility for this and areAlso, adds Ian, At the North West chains like Northern Stores andquite involved, Ian says. We eachCompany, I had a lot of involvement NorthMart Stores, critical suppliershave our own responsibilities. with Indigenous leadership, and of food and merchandise inI really appreciate how mucha lot of them helped us develop underserved communities acrosstheyve adopted it. Thats an impor- programs. A key figure was the Northern and Western Canada.tant part of our foundation: theyrelate Leonard (Len) Flett, a Cree all involved. They attend our status member of the Big Trout Since 2006, the Sutherlands haveboard meetings, and we all look Lake Ontario First Nation who maintained a foundation thatat the various options for helped introduce the Sutherlands focuses on the North, and espe- sponsorship together. to Indspire. He served for over cially on support for Indigenousfour decades with the Hudsons families. Its logo, fittingly, isLast year, Ian says proudly, OurBay Company and the North West an inukshuk. The North Westtotal expenses were $80. We dontCompany, and for more than 25 Company purchased the storesgive our sons any salary, and theyears sat on the Indspire Board, of the Hudsons Bay Companyinvestment returns last year wereincluding about six years as its chair.in the North in 1987; I was the40 per cent.point person on that purchase,Len Flett was our Vice-President says Ian Sutherland. The TachaneThe Tachane Foundations valuesof Store Development, Ian says. Foundation was originally fundedmesh seamlessly with those ofHe worked on projects, including with shares in the company. Wevethe business they were associatedjoint ventures with reserves and 40indspiration2022'