Meet the team

Employees

Dave Gill - General Manager of Forestry

Dave Gill has been the General Manager of Ntityix Resources LP since fall 2013. NRLP is a natural resource company owned by Westbank First Nation via the Ntityix Development group located in the central Okanagan Valley. He and his team coordinate the planning, operations, silviculture, community and stakeholder engagement on the forestry tenures held by Westbank First Nation. Dave is a director on the BC Community Forest Association and the Silver Lake Forest Education Society where public education and stakeholder engagement are strong guiding principles for both organizations. Since graduating from UBC Forestry, Dave has worked for industry, his own consultancy, government, and First Nations in various locations across British Columbia. For the past 20 years, he and his family have called Kelowna home. Today Dave’s primary interest is in working with the Westbank Community in developing ways to incorporate Indigenous values into forest management, to earn the support of, and opportunities for, the community he works for, and to build resiliency, health and future opportunities in the forests he works in.

Board of Directors

Jordan Coble - Director and President

Councillor Jordan Coble was one of the original attendees of what was then, the Westbank Indian Band school, now Sensisyusten, attended high school at MBSS and earned is degree from UBCO. Jordan also graduated from the 4 year adult immersion language program at the Syilx Language House while continuing to help grow the Sncewips Heritage Museum into the influential centre it has come to be recognized as today. As Jordan believes in the power of collaboration and the spirit of working together, he sits on various boards including the BCMA, ICHAC, UBCO IEAB, and he can also remember what most of these acronyms stand for. Moving forward requires a balanced approach towards development and progression. We as a sqilxʷ need to set the example in creating a healthy environment that utilizes each other’s gifts in a good way so that our future generations will have the opportunity to thrive. We can continue to be leaders and provide for our community but we must never forget our core values of respect for all, sustainability and reciprocity.

Garnet Mierau - Director

Garnet was born at a place that the Plains Cree named, moscâstani-sîpiy, meaning “a warm place by the river”. His grandparents are Katherine and Henry Mierau and Wilna and Karl Brandt, all of whom were Mennonite settlers fleeing the Russian revolution in the early 1900’s. His parents are Jeanette and Harold Mierau. Garnet has two children - Birch and Lindsay, and one grandchild - Amara. His partner is Jennifer Boyle and her children are Gabrielle and Madeline. Garnet has served as a Ntityix Resources director since 2014 and provided professional forestry and business services to this group since 2007. He is a registered professional forester (RPF) and currently sits on Council of the Association of BC Forest Professionals. Garnet believes in and has deep hope for reconciliation in Canada. He is passionate about business mentoring, coaching and leadership. He believes in giving back to community and is regularly involved with volunteer activities in his community of Kamloops.

Dean Cherkas - Director

With more than 25 years of experience working in the fields of Indigenous and provincial government management, energy sector, land management, business and economic development, emergency response and environmental regulatory, Dean brings a holistic perspective to his management consulting, negotiations and economic development work. Dean understands the political and socio-economic landscape of Indigenous communities and is able to support his clients and employers while bridging relationships to develop a comprehensive understanding of how industry, provincial and federal governments, and Indigenous communities can work together to benefit from resource development projects both on and off reserve.