DEAN BEAR
Land Code Governance Advisor - First Nations Land Management Resource Centre
Dean Bear is a member of the Muskoday First Nation in central Saskatchewan and comes to the Resource Center after 17 years working as the Director of the Muskoday lands department. During that time, he helped develop laws and procedures under the Land Code that have helped Muskoday First Nation become a trailblazer for other operational First Nation communities to follow. He assisted the First Nation in negotiating a Treaty Land Entitlement settlement and a land exchange agreement with the neighbouring rural municipality – both firsts for a Land Code community in Canada. Dean is a major proponent of the Framework Agreement and has a desire to see more First Nations strive toward sectoral self-government. He has sat on numerous boards at the First Nation level, is a previous chairman of the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Land Technicians (SALT) and is a former board member of the National Aboriginal Land Manager’s Association (NALMA).
His background includes farming, with a diploma in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan. He has also received certification from the Indigenous Peoples Resource Management program at the U of S and the First Nation Tax Administration program at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC.
Dean and his wife Kim, reside on the family farm at Muskoday with their three cats. In his off time, he enjoys golf and is a member of the Birch Hills Golf Club board, watching football and hockey and cooking different delicacies on his wood and charcoal smokers.
