Welcome to Métis Financial Corporation of BC (MFCBC)

The Métis Financial Corporation of BC was established by Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) as a result of an agreement with the department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). MNBC is the sole shareholder of MFCBC. The Métis Financial Corporation of BC is Métis owned and governed by a board of directors that is comprised of five persons.

The Métis Financial Corporation of BC’s mission is to provide trusted financial services for Métis entrepreneurs in BC.

The Métis Financial Corporation of BC’s vision is to be Métis entrepreneur’s financer of choice and to position Métis entrepreneurs and businesses to be able to fully participate in new and future economic opportunities.

Our mandate and structure permits us to provide loans to Métis entrepreneurs that commercial lenders such as banks and credit unions may not be able to provide. Métis Financial Corporation of BC seeks to strengthen the Métis economy through economically viable Métis owned and controlled businesses.

Board of Directors

Paul Ricard, Chair

Paul is the founding Chair of MFCBC and has been in the role since its incorporation in July 2017 and opening for business on August 1, 2018.

Paul was born in Golden in the Columbia Valley in south eastern British Columbia and has a long Métis presence in the area as his Great, Great, Great, Grand Parents Francois Morigeau and his Métis Wife Isabella Taylor settled in the Columbia Valley in 1819. Paul’s Métis Great, Great Grandfather Baptiste Morigeau had the first Store in Golden in 1881 and changed the name from the Cache to Golden.

Paul has an AAT accounting designation with the Chartered Professional Accounts of British Columbia. Most of his career has been spent managing businesses. Paul sits on the board of Columbia Valley Credit Union as the Board Chair and was the past President of Kicking Horse Country Chamber of Commerce. In his spare time Paul volunteers, teaching High School students’ entrepreneurship with Junior Achievement of BC.

Gil Malfair

Gil Malfair has practiced business law in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan for over 25 years. Gil practiced with prominent law firms in Regina, Vancouver, and Calgary from 1994 to 2007 and, in 2007, established Malfair Law, a boutique business law firm.

Gil has been the Chair of the Board of Governors of the College of New Caledonia since 2018 and is an active volunteer with the Prince George Ringette Association. He was a director of the Northern British Columbia Freestyle Club from 2014 to 2018. 

Gil was raised in Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics from the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan and his Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia. He is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia, the Law Society of Alberta (non-practicing), and the Law Society of Saskatchewan (non-practicing). 

Gil has been on the MFCBC board of directors since July 2017 and is pleased to assist with the continued development of MFCBC.

Paulette Flamond

Paulette was appointed to the MFCBC Board in 2020. She is a strong and proud Métis woman who grew up in Battleford, Saskatchewan before finding her way to the Peace Region 25 years ago and settling in Charlie Lake, BC. The property just outside of Fort St John in Northeast BC is her personal haven where she spends her limited spare time organic gardening and weaving her traditional cultural beliefs into a healthy and productive lifestyle.

Paulette’s post-secondary training includes a Diploma in Native Communications from Grant MacEwan College, an Aboriginal Management Certification from UBC’s Sauder School of Business, and an Honorary Associate Arts Degree from Northern Lights College awarded in 2013. She is a graduate of two Life Coaching programs and a licensed Heal Your Life Instructor under the philosophy of Louise Hay.

Paulette is a hands-on local business owner who has created a specialty store, Scoop Clothing, that caters to women in the region. 

Louis De Jaeger, EMBA

Louis was appointed to the MFCBC Board in 2020. He recently completed teaching as a Professor at the University of the Fraser Valley and looks forward to starting a new position as Minister of Economic Development with Métis Nation BC.  Louis recently completed an Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) with a focus on Aboriginal Leadership from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. Louis attained his Aboriginal Governance certification from the University of Arizona’s Native Nations Institute.

Louis has been a Board member of the Sto:lo Community Futures for eight years, serving on several committees and as Secretary-Treasurer. He is a co-founder of the Stol:lo Business Association, Canada’s only independent Indigenous Chamber of Commerce consisting of over 60 indigenous businesses. Since 2015, he has been a member of the City of Chilliwack’s Healthier Community Agency and has helped to increase the visibility of the Chilliwack Métis Association within the community.

Sid Peltier

Sid has been an active member of MNBC for over 20 years, serving as the past president/vice president in the Terrace community for the past 10 years. Sid’s experience includes 12 years on the board of the Kermode Friendship Centre. He was also appointed by then Premier Christy Clark to the Indigenous Business Investment council of BC and remained involved for over 10 years.

Sid was a helicopter pilot for 44 years and owned his own helicopter company in Northwest BC for 25 years.  When he sold his helicopter company in 2019, he and his wife moved to Kamloops where they own and operate a resort for three seasons of the year. 

Sid was recently appointed as an elder to the BC Indigenous Court where First Nation, Métis, and Inuit can request court proceedings through Indigenous Court and not through the Colonial Courts.

Sid is a Métis born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  His family genealogy includes Fidlers, Caplette, Pelletier, Bremner and other family ties. Sid is married with 3 children and 5 grandchildren and an expected addition soon.