Local Government

Bernd Christmas - CEO of Oil Sands Development

Bernd Christmas, Fort McKay First Nation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Oil Sands Development, is an accomplished corporate lawyer specializing in commercial and Aboriginal law. At Fort McKay, Mr. Christmas oversees oil sands mine negotiations, development, financing, implementation and operations, sustainability activities, legal matters, as well as investment for the First Nation.

During his legal career, Mr. Christmas worked for a number of prestigious, high profile law firm in Toronto including Lang Michener (now McMillan LLP) prior to opening his own law firm—Bernd Christmas Law Group—in 2009. His law firm has represented First Nations, tribal councils and Aboriginal agencies from across Canada in such areas including negotiations, administrative law, financing, corporate and commercial transactions, oil and gas, natural resource development as well as alternative dispute resolution. Mr. Christmas has also served as CEO of the Membertou First Nation in Sydney, Nova Scotia. During his tenure as CEO of Membertou First Nation, he developed a number of important partnerships with industry including Lockheed Martin, Boeing Canada, SNC Lavalin, just to name a few, as well as developed and implemented ISO 9001-2000 for the Membertou First Nation community—making it the first Indigenous government in the world to become ISO registered.

Mr. Christmas holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society. He currently is a member of the Investors Group Board of Directors, and the Nova Scotia Jobs Fund Board as well as is an Advisor to the International Peace Projects. Some of Mr. Christmas’s past directorships have also included the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Keltic Petrochemicals Ltd, Bennett Environmental Inc, the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, NS Industrial Expansion Board and the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation.

Andrew Bear Robe, Ph.D. - CEO of Planning and Administration

Fort McKay First Nation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Planning and Administration, Dr. Andrew Bear Robe, Ph.D.,brings a significant level of experience and expertise in First Nations governance and management, collaborative policy development, strategic and business planning, building partnerships within both the private and public sectors as well as capacity building in program and service delivery. As CEO of Planning and Administration, Dr. Bear Robe is responsible for not only planning and administration but also overseeing organizational and policy development, the Sustainability Department as well as performance management within the realm of human resources at Fort McKay.

Prior to joining Fort McKay First Nation, Dr. Bear Robe was the former Executive/Tribal Manager within the Executive Branch of the Siksika Nation Tribal Government. He has also held Director positions within the Alberta government’s International, Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Relations department in areas related to policy development and research, Aboriginal land and legal issues. Dr. Bear Robealso previously served asthe founding director for Aboriginal Leadership and Governance programs at The Banff Centrefor Management where he was instrumental in developing leading edge, culturally relevant Aboriginal leadership and management learning programs for Aboriginal leaders across Canada, including the Yukon and Northwest Territories (NWT). While at The Banff Centre, he also established a National Program Advisory Council composed of prominent Aboriginal, business and government leaders.

Dr. Bear Robe’sacademic and professional accomplishments are substantive,as he has authored a number of policy studies and research papers in the areas of strategic governance planning, socio-economic policy development for government and First Nations, First Nations sovereignty and self-government as well as Aboriginal and treaty rights during the past two decades. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and Canadian Studies from the University of Calgary as well as received his Ph.D. from the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies program of the University of Calgary in 2010. His Ph.D. dissertation topic was on the Victorian Treaties (1871 – 1921), signed between the Crown and First Nations that dealt with the Indian title from west of the Great Lakes region to the Alberta – B.C. border, including the NWT.

Sandy Sanderson - CEO of Business Development

As Fort McKay First Nation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Business Development, Sandy Sanderson oversees not only business development for the First Nation but also areas related to financing and investment, grants and loans, the management of joint venture initiatives and Business Incubator. He brings to this role considerable experience in community and business development (including the formation of joint venture companies), senior administration and operational responsibility, Aboriginal recruitment and hiring as well as regulatory and First Nation consultation.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Sanderson has held such positions as Associate Vice President for Red Deer College, Director of Recruitment and Student Life for the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and most recently, the Director of Aboriginal Relations for PTI Group Inc. While serving as the Director of Aboriginal Relations for PTI Group, the company received the 2011 Premier’s Award of Distinction from the Alberta Chambers of Commerce for its Aboriginal relations initiatives.

Mr. Sanderson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Lethbridge and is working towards his Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

Larry Hewko - Chief Financial Officer

The Chief Financial Officer is responsible for maintenance of accounting records and financial reporting to the community and Chief and Council. Day-to-day activities include monitoring of cash flow to ensure that monies due to the First Nation are collected in a timely manner, and bills are paid regularly. Also responsible for preparation and update of Fort McKay First Nation budgets.