A few weeks ago, I sat down with Jake Sinclair to hear his story and how he came about to be the Chief Operating Officer with George Gordon Developments Ltd. (GGDL). Jake has been with GGDL as the COO since December 2021, but his involvement with the organization goes back to it’s inception when he acted as the Youth Representation on the Board. Currently, Jake heads the business development and internal operations, as well as wears many hats as the fearless leader of a (currently) barebones staff as they grow.

I’m extremely grateful Jake took the time to tell me part of his story. In a world where it’s hard to slow down for much, it really is an honour. I think when we hear ‘Aboriginal Storytelling Month’, we think of cultural storytelling…but to me people’s story of their path is the gold in life. And I’m excited to share part of his with you all.

I had heard some great things about Jake from a mutual friend, but getting a taste of his mindset and approach was an extremely refreshing thing to see. As an existing building and environmental enthusiast, sometimes the development industry can be a bit much for me…but he had me at “our philosophy is that we’re here for a long time, and we want to make sure we build quality.”

Jake lived in Regina, SK until he was five, at which point him and his family moved to George Gordon First Nation (GGFN). GGFN was home to one of the last residential schools, which Jake attended as ‘day school’ until it was knocked down a year later in 1997 and a new school was built on the reserve. Jake lived on the reserve until he graduated from highschool in 2008.

It was clear from our conversation that Jake is extremely proud of where he is from, and that he is able to contribute to it’s success through his current position. “I absolutely love my community”.

Work Life

The day after graduation, at 5 am on his 18th birthday, Jake started work at the Colonsay Mine where he had previously worked as a summer student. After realizing working 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week, was exhausting and not for him…he packed up and headed to university to get his business degree.

Jake states he gets his entrepreneurial spirit from his father, with whom he had his first joint venture with. “Ultimately that business venture failed, but we learned a lot lessons”. Jakes dabbled in a medical supply startup, golf course management, real estate, and is currently the owner at the two Anytime Fitness gyms in Regina. Jake is always looking for a new challenge and starts to get an itch when he doesn’t see opportunity for growth or ability to create improvements. He loves paving the way as an entrepreneur to show others from his community that anything is possible.

Jake has always been actively involved in GGDL, where he is currently the COO. He was selected as a Youth Representative for the Board when it was first established, which was a move made to separate business from politics. He was also instrumental in the development and management of the Wicehtowak Workforce Development Program, which has been in works since 2015. The program has trained and employed over 500 people from GGFN, North Central Regina, and all Treaty 4.

To be honest, I had a bit of a hard time keeping up with all the amazing things Jake and GGDL have going on. But it included things like solar farms, environmental analysis studies and assessments.

As a fellow career-diverse individual, we then discussed how in so much of the corporate world, having a side gig is a bit taboo and not support. He taught me a new word, intrapreneur, which I absolutely love and think most businesses could benefit from adopting that abundance mindset and supporting employees itch to adventure. It may be both our biases towards our work preferences, but agreed that there is immense value in ‘job hoppers’, and the benefit they bring by shaking things up and questioning the status quo before moving on.

Culture and Storytelling

Jake was lucky to have culture and family history included in his upbringing, a major part being through his Kohkom (grandmother). He had a smile on his face as he remembered travelling all over the place with her as she went down the “rabbit hole” of family genealogy to see distant relatives and their teachings. “It was really good to see the little differences in teachings between nations.”

Jake also partook in the tradition of vision quests as a youth. Starting at age 11 for four consecutive summers, Jake spent four straight days in the bush in solitary to meditate, fast and pray. “It was quite an amazing experience”. As someone who is just learning at 35 years old the art and beauty of slowing down, it is hard to fathom the experience, and the discipline that is needed to complete a quest.

“Part of my role here is to revive some culture into everything we do”. At GGDL, Jake and crew try to integrate culture as much as possible in everything they do. The Board now includes a sharing circle at the beginning of every meeting (passing around an eagle feather or rock) and regularly uses storytelling as a way to get buy in on decisions.

“Storytelling is a really good way to influence people. A lot of aboriginal stories include animals, and to be quite frank with you, are not usually positive or feel good stories. They usually tend to have some aspect of mortality or deception. They tend to be life lessons, and you take what you can from them. There is a lot of interpretation in them.”

We discussed what makes someone a good storyteller. I personally believe that everyone is a great storyteller if the story is aligned with their authentic selves.

Building Codes and Conditions

I had really good intentions of asking Jake more about building standards on GGFD, but we went well past our scheduled meeting and were both late for lunch! What I did find out though is that GGFN has not adopted the National Building Code, as is common with a lot of reserve lands.

Common with a lot of First Nations land, GGFN has not adopted the National Building Code, and as such there is not a regulated standard for construction.

More on Jake

QC: Jake Sinclair brings entrepreneurship and community together

Jake Sinclair shares experiences as an Indigenous business owner in Regina on “A Day to Listen”

It’s been a positive and busy 24 hours back in business for Regina’s Anytime Fitness’