News & announcements

Press release  ·  Ottawa, Ontario  ·  1 September 2026

The Lodge joins Odawa Relations: the room just got bigger

We are proud to announce that The Lodge Consulting is joining Odawa Relations. Two First Nations owned and led firms are now one team: seven people, growing, and hiring, with a presence that stretches across the country, with headquarters in Ottawa and locations in Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Fort William First Nation, and Neyaashiinigmiing.

Like the braiding of sweetgrass, there is strength in bringing together different strands while honouring the integrity of each. This is a reciprocal partnership, rather than an acquisition. No one was bought and no one was taken over. Two firms built by First Nations people, for First Nations communities, looked at each other, recognized the same fire, and decided to tend it together.

In plain terms, our work is helping First Nations and the organizations that serve them get what they need from governments. We prepare leadership for the rooms where decisions are made, build the strategies and proposals that move community priorities forward, and track the policies, programs, and legislation that will affect our nations before they arrive. We open doors in Ottawa and in the provinces that too often stay closed.

We came together because we share a belief about what this work actually is. Government relations, the way we practise it, has never meant only the corridors of Ottawa or the provincial legislatures. It means First Nations governments and Crown governments working together, nation to nation, with people at the table who carry the lived experience to understand both sides of it. That understanding cannot be studied into existence or added to a service list as an afterthought. It comes from lives spent in community, and it is the reason nations call us when the road gets complicated.

“When we launched Odawa, we said we built our own room. Today that room holds passionately dedicated people who wake up thinking about how to make life better in the communities we serve. That has always been the point. The firm is just the vehicle. Our people, and the nations we work for, are the reason.” Travis Boissoneau, Principal and CEO, Odawa Relations

“This merger is about so much more than two businesses coming together. It is about reciprocity and our responsibility to one another as kin. We believe there is space for First Nations people and First Nations businesses to grow together. This work is not about competition, but about creating opportunities for our people to lead, for our communities to thrive, and for good partnerships to grow around that work. At the centre of that is our integrity and responsibility to community. Those relationships brought The Lodge and Odawa together, and they will remain at the heart of how we do business and how we walk alongside the Nations and communities we serve.” Hillory Tenute, founder of The Lodge, now Executive Partner, Odawa Relations

We know there is more than one way to respond when First Nations people succeed in a space others once spoke for. Ours has always been to reach out a hand, share the work, and grow the circle, because every firm in this sector should want the same thing: better outcomes for nations.

The lodge has always been the place where the people gather, and Odawa opened to build the bridges that too often do not exist. Together, we walk those bridges alongside our clients. We look forward to walking with others. Reach out if you see a need for your organization or community. We are here to support you.