Dave Tuccaro and Nicole Bourque-Bouchier appointed to the Order of Canada for their work in the Indigenous business community 

January 22, 2025

Dave Tuccaro and Nicole Bourque-Bouchier have earned many awards during their storied careers as entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Having blazed a trail for Indigenous business in the oil sands, the two members of the Mikisew Cree First Nation broke new ground on December 18, when they were by appointed as members of the Order of Canada by Governor General Mary Simon. 

The Governor General cited Tuccaro’s work to elevate Indigenous business, contributions to the Wood Buffalo region’s economic growth and generous support for several community initiatives. The announcement took Tuccaro by surprise but he says it will serve as a catalyst rather than a laurel to rest on. 

“I’m very proud, obviously, and thrilled to be in the company of so many esteemed Canadians, including Nicole,” says Tuccaro. “But I see my responsibility as using this recognition to better our people moving forward.” 

That drive spurred Tuccaro to start in his own business in late 1970s.  

“I always had a bit of an entrepreneurial streak. When I was working as a crane operator for different contractors in the oil sands, I started up some businesses, including a janitorial services company. I also bought two taxis,” says Dave. “I also owned an auto repair shop and a bakery at different times. But my career really started when I took over Neegan Development and began working as a contractor with Syncrude in their mine.” 

Neegan’s small fleet of heavy equipment has mushroomed over the next three decades into The Tuccaro Group’s five Fort McMurray-based companies with a wide range of services to the oil sands and region.  

Jim Carter, the former president of Syncrude who worked with Tuccaro when he first took over Neegan praised the appointment as deserved recognition. 

“Right at the beginning, (Syncrude general manager of mining) Dennis Love and I saw something special in Dave. We could tell he was going to get things done and succeed,” says Carter, who was appointed as an officer in the Order of Canada in 2014. “It was so great to see him grow his business and fully engage his own community while doing that. Dave has fully earned this recognition. It is a fitting tribute for what he’s accomplished for the oil sands, the region and Indigenous people.”  

Tuccaro also was one of the founders of the Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association (NAABA) in 1993, which now represents more than 90 Indigenous-owned businesses with another 90 non-Indigenous associate members. 

“When we started NAABA, our goal was to work together as a group of Aboriginal-owned businesses to create jobs and training opportunities for the betterment of all people in Wood Buffalo. I’m so proud of what NAABA has grown into and this next generation of Indigenous entrepreneurs. This is the best place we’ve ever been in the history of Canada and the opportunities are just getting better and better. As Indigenous people, we have a responsibility to be ready for that,” Tuccaro says. “I’ve always seen pipelines as the new traplines because there is no longer a fur industry. It’s now more a hobby to ensure communities don’t lose that traditional knowledge but it’s vital for those communities to generate revenue so they look after themselves and build the elders centres, schools hockey rinks and other infrastructure that’s needed. That’s what having a business can do.” 

Tuccaro’s work at NAABA inspired Bourque-Bouchier to start as an entrepreneur.  

“He was a role model and a mentor for me. I remember him speaking at a NAABA dinner – I was working in industry at the time and he was such a galvanizing speaker,” Bourque-Bouchier says. “As a young Indigenous woman, it was amazing to listen to and see somebody from my own First Nation make a tremendous impact and change as a business leader.” 

Bourque-Bouchier herself has gone on to serve as a source of inspiration to thousands, something Governor General Simon cited in announcing her appointment to the Order of Canada for advancing the role of women in business and being at the forefront of Indigenous economic development in Alberta. 

“I had absolutely no idea – I was sitting in a hockey rink watching my youngest son’s team play when I got the call,” says Bourque-Bouchier. “I was a little taken aback, almost in shock. But after that passed, I felt a sense of almost relief and gratitude. Being a female in this environment and an Indigenous person, you have to go against some perceptions about being able to run a successful venture. But we’ve achieved so much with a great team through organized growth. We set out to be a great business and have worked with our heads down to grow organically. This kind of recognition is a way of saying you are moving the needle.” 

The Boucher Group started in 1998 with a single bulldozer. The Fort McKay-based company has grown into an empire that employs more than 1,200 people in three areas. Its civil contracting fleet and employees work at several major oil sands sites. The facilities group supports camps with services including maintenance and renovations. Bouchier also recently added a new logistics division to provide transportation support to clients. 

And Boucher has established itself as one of the go-to contractors for oil sands operations in the region. 

“Your partners are a big part of these kinds of success stories and I, or the business, could not have achieved any of it without them,” says Nicole, the company’s co-owner and CEO. “In establishing our business, we didn’t see ourselves as an Indigenous organization. We wanted to get work because we were the best contractor for the job from the perspective of being safe, cost-competitive. But we began to focus more on our Indigenous roots in the past five years, celebrating them inside and outside of the company. It’s elevated our business to a whole new level.” 

Bouchier’s commitment is reflected in its workforce, with 40 per cent of Bouchier employees self-identifying as Indigenous from 80 different Indigenous communities across Canada, with 40 per cent in leadership roles. That helps explain why energy giant ExxonMobil honoured the company in December with its 2024 Diverse Supplier Award. 

“This is a global award that puts our region on the map and specifically the Kearl oil sands site. We worked hard to be the diverse contractor of choice by celebrating the people who work for us regardless of their background,” she says. “It’s particularly meaningful for me because when I started out in this business looking at project line ups, there weren’t a lot of people who looked like me wearing hard hats. Our success demonstrates what’s possible when you bring diverse voices and perspectives to the job site.”