The decision to buy the Forest Licences
was “very brave,” says Sampson. At the
time, the Band was struggling finan-
cially, and crisis seemed to be around
every corner in the community. “It was
a desperate move to find a way to turn
things around socially, economically, and
politically.”
Long-Standing
Partnerships
The success of Coast Tsimshian
Resources is a testament to the the
resiliency of the Band and its members
and their ability to forge long-standing
partnerships with other businesses and
stakeholders in the area, “as well as the
ability to maneuver through the politi-
cal landscape whether dealing with the
Provincial Government, or other First
Nations whose territories our licenses
overlap with,” says Sampson.
The success of the CTR has allowed the
LKDB to diversify into other areas of busi-
ness where it has strong equity holdings;
72 BUSINESS ELITE CANADA | MARCH 2019
