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CALGARY — A dramatic change in First Nations’ approaches to natural resources development has led, in certain cases, to rising incomes in Indigenous communities where members now out-earn national averages.

The Montreal Economic Institute found in a study released Tuesday that First Nations communities and members involved in resource development earn multiples of what both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people earn in other industries.

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The MEI report, titled The First Entrepreneurs, notes that there is no consensus among First Nations on an approach to resource development in their traditional territories, but there is a rising number of impact-benefits agreements across the country as more groups turn to resource extraction for economic opportunity.

The report did not specifically consider the relative wages of First Nations communities in places such as Vancouver, which have opposed energy projects such as the Trans Mountain expansion over environmental concerns, but considered incomes among First Nations groups in rural areas focused on resource extraction.