Indigenous governments are receiving billions of dollars from the commercial development of oil, gas, and mineral resources on or near their territories. Yet until now, there has been no comprehensive source tracking where these payments go, who makes them, and how they are structured.
The information is spread across thousands of individual company filings. That leaves a gap between how Indigenous economic participation is discussed and how it actually works.
As Canada enters a new era of nation-building projects, 73% of which run through Indigenous territories, that gap matters. Without clear data on how revenue already flows to Indigenous governments, industry, governments, and communities are negotiating partnerships without a baseline.
The Resource Development Payments to Indigenous Governments 2026 Report addresses this gap. Drawing on thousands of Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA) reports, it provides the first national baseline of reported payments from resource companies to Indigenous governments.
The findings: 231 companies have reported $4.2 billion in payments to 287 Indigenous governments since 2017. Annual payments grew from $225 million to $847 million in 2025. Mining accounts for two-thirds of the total, Alberta leads all jurisdictions at $1.1 billion, and 87% of payments are fees and royalties. Payments are also concentrated: the top 10 recipients account for 35% of the total.
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Indigenous Energy Brief