Indigenous leader talks team building, business at UBC Okanagan

The first thing Mic Werstuik will tell you about himself is he is not a 鈥榮uit and tie鈥� guy.

He brings his own identity into any boardroom as a leader in his Westbank First Nation community.

He has forged a working career with his chainsaw in forestry which reflects his lifelong attachment to the land, as a member of the WFN band council and more recently as the executive director of the Ntityix Development Corporation, a corporate investment arm of the WFN.

鈥淲hat I have learned is that politicians tell people what they want to hear, and leaders do what it takes to get things done,鈥� he said.

鈥淏eing a CEO is a title that does not resonate with me. I am part of a team and that鈥檚 all. I am accountable if things go sideways but our team ultimately relies on one another鈥︹€�

Werstuik was invited to share his story in an Indigenous Business Speaker series on Marach 5 by the UBCO Faculty of Management.

He was joined by his niece, Sylix artist and knowledge keeper Krystal Withakay, who acted as facilitator for the discussion and acknowledged the role her uncle has in her life growing up as a role model

Werstuik talked about the success of economic growth on WFN lands, at how 80 per cent of the band land falls under the certificate of possession of individual band members and 20 per cent under direct band control.

Underscoring that band members can only sell their certificate of possession to other band members or to the band itself.

He said the commercial growth readily visible along Highway 97 on the Westside has brought both individual wealth and communal wealth for the WFN through land lease use agreements.

But he cautioned the WFN鈥檚 rise, from breaking away from the Okanagan Indian Band to go it alone in 1963 to gaining self-government status in 2005, is not a blueprint relevant to other reserve bands.

鈥淭he WFN is one of the more progressive Indigenous communities across Canada but what has worked for us, in our territory, but each band is different, the reserves are all different,鈥� he said.

Werstuik鈥檚 life reflects the truth and reconciliation objectives for a culture mistreated by federal government regulation, from growing up on the WFN reserve as a non-status Indigenous person to finding himself today involved in negotiations over the use of land that belongs to them.

鈥淚t is a bit confusing to be negotiating with someone on how to use your own land,鈥� said Werstuik, reflecting on outstanding land claims issues that remain unresolved despite truth and reconciliation progress in other areas.

Werstuik noted how the WFN has also placed a priority on using government funding or generated revenue to provide services rather than cash payouts to its members.

Education, health care, extended health benefits and recreation are all community services intended to improve the economic potential of its members.

Education in particular has been a partnership priority with Central Okanagan Public Schools, with Indigenous student graduation in the Central Okanagan now exceeding the provincial average.

Werstuik was born and raised on the WFN reserve, but he was not classified as a Status Indian by the federal government while his brother was through the inconsistencies of government legislation held over the Indigenous culture for decades.

But he pursued his post-secondary education and his love of working on the land which led him to be involved in the success of the WFN and its various corporate entities.

In 1998, he graduated from Nicola Valley Institute of Technology with a diploma in natural resource management, and in 2018 completed his Master of Business Administration degree from Simon Fraser University.

In 2000, on the stern advice of his grandmother, Werstuik ran for a seat on the WFN band council.

鈥淲hen an Elder tells you to run it is hard to say no,鈥� he recalled.

鈥淭he first time you run for WFN council you don鈥檛 expect to win, but I got in.鈥�

Werstuik said the WFN looks beyond land in terms of potential development, that to the Sylix Indigenous culture, the land is to be shared as an ecosystem that supports wildlife, and how water preservation is synonymous with life.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 live without water. Water connects us all,鈥� he said.

For UBCO, the hope behind the speaker series is to share insights in leading, managing and organizing.

鈥淥ur Indigenous Business Speaker Series serves as a viral step along the path to foster truly, understanding, dialogue and action to reconciliation,鈥� said Dr. Sandy Hilton, dean pro tem of the faculty of management.

鈥淭he series aims to honour and share the invaluable contributions and experiences of Indigenous peoples in business, leadership and governance.鈥�

琉璃神社