ABOUT US
At CIRCA, we believe that reconciliation is everyone’s business.
We don’t just help our clients to engage in reconciliation – we do it ourselves. We bring our dual perspectives as an Indigenous man and a non-Indigenous woman to our projects, all of which we carry out in full partnership and collaboration using a mix of educating, advising, and facilitating.
We met across the table from one another in treaty negotiations, Josh representing an Indigenous treaty group, Lindsay representing the Province of BC. We soon found that, although we were on opposite sides of the table, we had more in common than not. You might imagine that negotiations are about going head-to-head, but in our experience it’s standing side by side, moving together toward a shared goal. That idea has continued to inform our relationship as co-founders and partners in CIRCA.
We bring to our clients a combined 30-plus years of experience working in, with, and for First Nations in BC, and in building relationships between First Nations, governments and industry. Our work is guided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada‘s 94 Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other relevant legislation and guiding documents.
Lindsay Hutchinson, Co-Founder
lindsay@circaconsulting.ca
Prior to launching CIRCA, Lindsay spent many years engaging and negotiating with First Nations across BC on behalf of the provincial government, and continues to consult with First Nations across BC on land and resource governance policy. A naturally creative problem-solver, Lindsay loves bringing people together in collaboration to seek mutually beneficial outcomes. Of Irish and Scottish descent, Lindsay sees her role as that of a bridge for other non-Indigenous Canadians to enter into reconciliation.
Lindsay graduated with distinction from the University of Victoria with a B.Sc. in biology and has studied facilitation at Simon Fraser University.
Lindsay spends her time on both Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw land on northern Vancouver Island, and lək̓ʷəŋən land on southern Vancouver Island.
Josh Alexander, Co-Founder
josh@circaconsulting.ca
Prior to launching CIRCA, Josh held key roles in administration and management, including CAO and Director of Operations with the In-SHUCK-ch Nation Interim Government. He also advises developers and members of the resource industry on Corporate-Indigenous engagement. Of Scottish and Indigenous descent, Josh is a member of the Xa’xtsa (Douglas) First Nation.
Josh holds a Diploma from the Ch’nook Advanced Business Management program at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business and continues to study leadership and business.
Josh is based in Mission, BC on Stó:lō Nation territory.
About Our Name
We chose our name because it has a dual meaning that, to us, represents the past, present and the future.
On one hand, CIRCA is an acronym – for Corporate-Indigenous Reconciliation Consulting and Advising – that represents not only the present reality for business in Canada, but also a future that we want to be a part of creating.
Fittingly, the word circa also carries connotations of the past. In the English language it is used to denote an approximate date in history when an exact date cannot be known. To us it’s a reminder of the First People’s presence in this country since time immemorial.
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