the mainstay community

Mainstay was built on a simple belief: strong projects come from strong communities. I don’t mean that in a marketing sense, and I don’t mean it as a slogan. I mean it in the practical way that most engineers understand things, if the foundation is solid, the structure performs.

When I talk about community at Mainstay, I’m referring to the real people behind the work. The engineers and project managers who carry responsibility on site. The superintendents making decisions in the field. The families that support rotational schedules and long travel days. The clients who trust us with their complex capital, maintenance, and major projects. And the Nation that owns our company and shapes who we are.

Community, for us, is not separate from the business. It is woven into how we operate.

Everything starts with our team. The professionals who represent Mainstay across Canada are not “resources” to be allocated. They are experienced individuals building careers, supporting families, and taking pride in meaningful work. As a professional engineer myself, I understand what it means to put your name behind a drawing, a decision, or a recommendation. That responsibility matters. So does the environment you work in.

We are not just a staffing agency, and we do not simply fill seats. Our work is rooted in strengthening execution. Sometimes that means providing project management leadership. Sometimes it means engineering oversight. Sometimes it means bringing clarity to a situation that has become complex or misaligned. Whatever the assignment, the expectation is ownership and professionalism. In return, we aim to provide stability, respect, and long-term opportunity. That balance is important to me personally, and it influences how we build our teams.

Our community naturally extends outward to include our clients and long-term partners. We work in mining, energy, and industrial environments where the stakes are high and the margin for error is small. These relationships are built over time. More than a decade after our earliest projects, we continue to work with original Tier 1 clients such as Cameco and Nutrien. That longevity is not accidental. It reflects consistency, accountability, and performance under pressure.

In heavy industry, reputation compounds slowly and erodes quickly. We are mindful of that. Many of the professionals reading this understand that long-term alignment matters more than short-term wins. The same principle applies internally and externally, community is built through repeated, reliable performance.

In 2023, Mainstay entered a new chapter when Buffalo River Dene Nation became our partner and owner. That relationship is foundational to who we are today.

Buffalo River is a remote Dene community in northern Saskatchewan, located approximately 650 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon and about 150 kilometres east of Fort McMurray. The Nation is home to roughly 1,200 residents living in approximately 350 homes, and it is a young community, with nearly 40 percent of the population under the age of 30. The local school, home of the Bison, serves about 350 students from Kindergarten through Grade 12.

Geography plays a significant role in daily life there. The community sits at the end of a 60-kilometre gravel highway. For someone accustomed to urban infrastructure, the drive in can feel remote. Yet when you arrive, you are met by Peter Pond Lake surrounding the community on nearly all sides, boreal forest stretching to the horizon, and sand dunes tucked along the shoreline if you know where to look. It is a remarkable part of the province.

Remoteness brings real challenges. Infrastructure costs are higher. Employment opportunities are fewer. Logistics are complex. At the same time, that geography has allowed Buffalo River to remain closely connected to language, land, and culture. Most residents speak both Dene and English. Hunting, fishing, and land-based practices remain central to life. Moose, walleye, whitefish, and northern pike are not abstractions; they are part of how families live.

Every First Nation across Canada has its own history, governance, geography, and economic reality. They are not interchangeable, and they should not be treated as such. When Buffalo River became our partner in 2023, it was not a symbolic alignment. It was a long-term commitment. Their story is now part of ours.

The local economy in Buffalo River is relatively small compared to its population. Beyond teachers, municipal workers, health staff, and RCMP, there is one general store, the Mini Mart, that provides groceries, fuel, and basic supplies. Many residents work rotational employment outside the community. Travel is part of normal life. Extended absences are common. There are also approximately 500 urban members living elsewhere while maintaining connection to the Nation.

There are misconceptions about northern communities that are often repeated without context. Housing and services are not “free.” Community members pay rent and utilities. The economic realities are nuanced and often misunderstood. Understanding that context matters, especially in industries that intersect regularly with Indigenous communities across Canada.

So why share all of this in a note to mining professionals and colleagues?

Because context informs perspective. And perspective influences how we build organizations.

Mainstay is Indigenous-owned, but ownership alone is not the story. Responsibility is. Our success is directly tied to creating opportunity, building professional capacity, and contributing to sustainable participation in the industries we serve. That influences how we think about growth. It influences how we evaluate partnerships. It influences how we define success beyond a single project or fiscal year.

We work across Canada. Our projects are national. But our foundation is specific and grounded. We carry that foundation with us into boardrooms, job sites, and technical discussions.

I am not writing this to sell anything. I simply believe that understanding where a company comes from helps explain how it behaves. For those who work with us, and for those who may work alongside us in the future, community at Mainstay is not an abstract idea. It is the structure beneath the work.

And like any good structure, it is meant to last.

By Brad Pederson, P.Eng.

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