Services
What we do.
Groundwork Advisory provides focused advisory services to mining companies, project developers, and their partners operating in Canada's North.
Every engagement is led personally by Kelly Constable. No junior staff, no hand-offs. You get direct access to over thirteen years of experience on both sides of the regulatory table.
Regulatory Advising
Canada's northern regulatory environment is complex — federal, territorial, and Indigenous processes often run in parallel, with overlapping timelines and competing requirements. Getting it wrong costs time and credibility.
Kelly helps clients understand what each process actually requires, build realistic permitting strategies, and engage regulators in a way that moves projects forward rather than creating friction.
- Permitting strategy and sequencing
- Regulatory process navigation (YESAA, MVRMA, Quartz Mining Act, and others)
- Regulator engagement and relationship management
- Licence and permit condition interpretation
Indigenous Relations
Meaningful engagement with Indigenous governments and communities is not a box to check — it is the foundation of a project's social licence and long-term viability. Done well, it creates relationships that carry a project through its most difficult moments.
Kelly brings direct experience working with Indigenous groups across Yukon and the Northwest Territories, including implementing agreements, leading working groups, and navigating Indigenous-led assessment processes.
- Engagement strategy development and implementation
- Consultation program design and delivery
- Indigenous-led assessment processes
- Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Use research
- Agreement implementation and relationship stewardship
Negotiations
Negotiating with Indigenous governments, regulators, and other project partners requires more than legal preparation — it requires an understanding of what each party actually needs, and the credibility to have that conversation honestly.
Kelly has negotiated Collaboration Agreements, capacity funding agreements, and procurement frameworks on major northern projects. She brings strategic preparation and a track record of reaching durable outcomes.
- Collaboration Agreement negotiation
- Capacity Funding Agreement negotiation
- Procurement collaboration frameworks
- Government-to-government process support
- Pre-negotiation strategy and preparation
Compliance Advising
A permit is not the finish line — it is the beginning of a new set of obligations. Permit conditions, regulatory requirements, and community commitments all need to be tracked, understood, and met.
Kelly helps operations teams stay ahead of their compliance obligations, interpret ambiguous conditions, and respond to regulatory changes before they become problems.
- Permit condition tracking and interpretation
- Compliance program development
- Regulatory change monitoring
- Reporting obligations and submissions
Not sure where to start?
Most projects need more than one of these services — and the right approach depends on where you are in the project lifecycle. Get in touch and we'll figure it out together.