Birch-News-Second-Edition by Michaelbirch.ca

A Word from Michael Birch

Welcome to the second edition of The Birch News. In our first edition we introduced the people and the principles behind this platform. In this one, we turn to the land.

The cover story of this edition is the Birch Carbon Program. It reflects exactly what we stand for: the true value of the land, recognized and carried forward for the communities it has always belonged to. Nothing taken. Nothing disturbed. Long-term strength for the generations still to come.

The Birch Carbon Program is 100% Indigenous owned and Indigenous led. It is built with First Nations, for First Nations, and it is guided by the Seven Sacred Teachings, Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility, and Truth. These are not slogans. They are the standards that shape how we engage, build, and move forward together.

We are also proud to feature Live Well Development Group, an Ally building communities designed for how people actually live. Its work carries the same belief that runs through everything in these pages: opportunity is real when communities are at the centre of it.

You will also meet the Allies of the Birch Group, the companies gathered in these pages, each chosen with intention, each committed to putting communities first.

This is the difference. Not extraction but shared growth. Not talk but execution.

The Opportunity Is Already on Your Land

The Birch Carbon Program: protecting the land, honouring the teachings. BIRCHCARBONPROGRAM.COM

Across the world, people are beginning to understand the true value of the land, not for what can be taken from it, but for what it holds, protects, and gives. For our people, this has always been known, and the Birch Carbon Program is built on that truth.

Our forests, waters, and lands are not empty space. They are living, and they carry value for today and for generations to come. The carbon held within a forest is one measure of that value, and around the world industries are beginning to pay for it, recognizing that intact forests are worth more standing than felled.

The Birch Carbon Program is 100% Indigenous owned and Indigenous led. It is built with First

Nations, for First Nations, and guided by the Seven Sacred Teachings in every step forward.

By measuring and protecting the carbon held within forests and natural systems, the land itself becomes a source of long-term strength. Nations generate steady revenue while keeping the land exactly as it should be. Nothing is taken. Nothing is disturbed.

Done in a Good Way

The process is done in a good way. Each Nation is first given a clear understanding of what their traditional lands may hold. The Nation's own leadership guides every step, ensuring control stays with the community, today and into the future.

The work to measure and verify the land is supported through private funding, removing the financial barriers that have historically kept communities locked out of carbon markets. Nations carry zero upfront cost and zero financial risk. Once complete, the land's value is recognized

through carbon credits respected around the world. The outcome is clear: long-term revenue from the land itself, protection of forests and water, and lasting strength for communities and future generations.

Michael Birch Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Tom Jackson, C.C. Partner & Ambassador, Order of Canada

Christopher Henry Director of Operations

Daniel A. Huard, LEED Fellow Co-Founder, first Indigenous LEED Fellow

Matthew Coon Come Advisor, Cree leader, Eeyou Istchee

David Pratt · Dr. Matt Vickers Community Developers, SK & B.C.

To start the conversation, email info@michaelbirch.ca.

Live Well Development Group

Building integrated platforms of enduring value. LIVEWELLGROUP.CA

Live Well Development Group is a Canadian development platform building long-term value through thoughtfully planned communities, infrastructure, and scalable real estate. At its core is a belief that development should not be fragmented or short-term, but built with intention, discipline, and a clear vision for the future.

The company approaches every project with a full-lifecycle mindset, from the earliest stages of land planning through to long-term ownership and performance. Where traditional models separate land, infrastructure, capital, and operations into isolated steps, Live Well brings them together from the beginning, creating a more efficient and

resilient foundation.

A defining feature of the work is its focus on complete environments, human-scaled communities designed to function cohesively, where each component supports the next, and where healthy living is designed in from the very first plan.

Built on Indigenous Partnership

Equally important is Live Well’s commitment to meaningful Indigenous partnership. The company recognizes that long-term success is built through respect, collaboration, and shared opportunity, engaging early and working alongside communities in a genuine and thoughtful way.

Michael Birch plays an important role in supporting this vision. As a strategic partner and V.P. of Indigenous Partnerships and Government Relations, he brings decades of trusted relationships and experience working with communities across Canada, alongside Tom Jackson, C.C., V.P. of Business Development.

Looking ahead, Live Well is focused on expanding its footprint across Western Canada and beyond, creating enduring platforms that stand the test of time.

• Live Well District & Seniors Active Living, Surrey, B.C.

• Peach Hills & Seniors Continuing Care District, Peachland, B.C.

• Live Well Seniors Living, West Kelowna, B.C.

Michael Birch Partner & V.P. Indigenous Partnerships and Government Relations

Tom Jackson, C.C. Partner & V.P. Business Development

The Birch Group of Companies

Building Allies. Creating Opportunity. Always in a Good Way.

The Birch Group of Companies is a network of aligned businesses brought together with a clear purpose: to serve communities, to create real opportunity, and to ensure that people always come first.

The companies in the following pages have each been selected with intention. Every one represents an Ally, not just a business, but a partner who understands that the work is not about transactions. It is about people, trust, and showing up the right way.

Each Ally is vetted against a single question: do they show up the way Michael Birch shows up? Do they put the relationship first? Do they understand

that working with First Nations is not a market segment, it is a responsibility.

Together they represent something the Canadian business landscape has been slow to build: an ecosystem where Indigenous priorities are not an afterthought, and where opportunity flows back into the communities it touches.

Thunderbird Energy

Indigenous Owned. Indigenous Operated. Leading Energy Today.

Thunderbird Energy is a leading Indigenous energy company delivering best-in-class fuel supply, logistics, and the smartest energy technologies available today. Built on strong relationships, deep industry knowledge, and global alliances, it is positioned to secure highly competitive fuel supply while aligning with the most advanced and progressive energy solutions shaping the future.

From its Winnipeg base on Jarvis Avenue, Thunderbird Fuels supplies bulk diesel, gasoline, and specialty fuels, and handles fuel procurement and supply management for remote and northern communities. Its services extend to fuel-infrastructure solutions, including tank supply, installation coordination, and upgrades, as well as fuel-system audits and optimization for communities and rail.

For communities, the appeal is practical and immediate. Fuel is often one of the single largest line items in a Nation's operating budget, and even modest improvements in sourcing and logistics free up real dollars for programs, services, and people. Strategic sourcing, optimized logistics, and transparent pricing are the difference.

But fuel is only the entry point. The real work is in

what comes next: storage, generation, and how Indigenous nations will participate in and profit from the next-generation energy economy. Aligned with the global shift toward net zero, Thunderbird connects partners with leading solar technologies and solid-state hydrogen power storage and generation.

Those alignments create a clear pathway into carbon-credit markets and broader net-zero strategies, letting partners reduce impact while capturing long-term value. It is a very different proposition from the extraction model that has defined energy in Indigenous territories for generations.

The traditional model treats communities as the site of extraction. Thunderbird is built on a different assumption: that communities can own the infrastructure, share the upside, and lead the transition. As part of the Birch Group of Companies, it carries that conviction into every partnership.

Capital Ford Winnipeg

Driven by Trust. Defined by Service. Built for the Community. CAPITALFORDWINNIPEG.CA

In a competitive automotive market where transactions often outweigh relationships, Capital Ford Winnipeg stands out by putting people first. Built on trust, consistency, and long-term customer care, it has become more than a place to purchase a vehicle. It is a place where relationships are built and maintained.

As part of the Capital Automotive Group, one of Western Canada's most established dealership networks, Capital Ford carries a legacy of experience and customer-first values. Known for its full lineup of Ford vehicles, the dealership also offers Lincoln models and access to pre-owned vehicles across all makes, sourcing virtually any vehicle a customer is looking for.

As Ford's lineup expands into hybrid and electric, buyers can access models like the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning alongside the full gas range, with the same honest guidance whether someone is buying a first car or managing a community fleet. It is not about selling what is on the lot; it is about finding what is right.

That standard has been recognized again and again. From its 555 Empress Street location,

Capital Ford Winnipeg has been named Manitoba's Ford Dealer of the Year three times and Canadian Lincoln Dealer of the Year two years running by DealerRater, alongside multiple Consumer Satisfaction Awards.

Beyond the purchase, Capital Ford provides full-service maintenance, diagnostics, repairs, collision service, and flexible financing, with vehicles returned on time and on price. The team is known for supporting customers rather than pressuring them, and for explaining every step clearly.

For Indigenous community fleets and personal buyers alike, the relationship continues long after the keys change hands. Its partnership with the Birch Group reflects shared values of trust, community, and doing business the right way.

Ironclad Developments

Building Communities. Delivering Excellence. IRONCLADDEVELOPMENTS.CA

What does it take to build more than just buildings, communities that stand the test of time? That is the foundation Ironclad Developments was built on. Founded in Manitoba in 2014 and headquartered in Winnipeg, Ironclad has grown into one of Canada's leading construction and development companies, specializing in thoughtfully designed multi-family apartment communities.

As a fully integrated developer, Ironclad manages every stage, from land acquisition and planning to design, construction, and rental management. Vertical integration is the discipline that lets it keep promises: timelines hold, budgets hold, and quality holds.

Recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies and COR-certified for health and safety, Ironclad has expanded across British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario without diluting that standard. Each new project is held to the same quality bar set on the very first build.

The Frontier, its newly completed community near

Sage Creek in southeast Winnipeg, shows the approach in practice: three buildings and 170 suites ranging from bachelor to three bedrooms, with in-suite laundry, private balconies, and shared amenities including a fitness centre, sauna, and an on-site cinema.

Milestones like these have earned Ironclad national recognition, including a place among Canada's Top 10 Apartment and Condominium Contractors, while its Ironclad Properties arm continues to manage and grow a rental portfolio that spans the country.

From flagship communities like The Onyx to every new build, the work is guided by strong values: integrity in every decision, accountability in every project, and a commitment to spaces that provide real, lasting value to the people who live in them.

MAG Solar

Powering Communities. Building a Sustainable Future. MAGSOLAR.CA

What if energy independence was something communities could take control of today? MAG Solar is making that possible, a fast-growing, Indigenous-focused Canadian solar company delivering complete renewable energy solutions across residential, commercial, agricultural, and Indigenous community projects.

MAG Solar provides full end-to-end service, from consultation and system design to installation and ongoing support. Every system is tailored to real-world use, sized to the load it will serve, designed for the climate it will live in, and installed to last decades, not seasons.

Solar is one of the few technologies that genuinely lets communities own their power supply. Once the panels are up, the source is overhead, free, and under local control. This is about more than reducing energy costs. It is about stability, independence, and greater control over how a community generates and uses power.

Based in Mission, British Columbia, and led on Indigenous partnerships by national director Rocky

Dhillon, MAG Solar structures projects so communities hold equity and build local skills. The aim is not just to install panels, but to help grow Indigenous-owned solar companies that can operate independently over time.

In 2025 that approach scaled up. MAG Solar began working under contract with the Treaty 8 Tribal Association in British Columbia, representing some 13,000 residents, and is among the installers supporting remote First Nations through programs like B.C.'s Community Energy Diesel Reduction initiative, with activity growing across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and New Brunswick.

As part of the Birch Group of Companies, MAG Solar plays an important role in a broader vision focused on strengthening communities through infrastructure, innovation, and trusted partnerships.

POS Systems

Powering Transactions. Built on Reliability. POSSYSTEMS.COM

In a business environment where every transaction matters and downtime is not an option, POS Systems has built its reputation on consistency, reliability, and long-term support. More than a technology provider, it is a trusted partner for businesses that depend on seamless day-to-day operations.

Founded in 1980 in Winnipeg as a family-run cash register company, POS Systems evolved into a full-service point-of-sale solutions provider serving businesses across Canada. From retail and hospitality to liquor stores and multi-location operations, its systems manage inventory, process payments, and provide real-time insight.

Every terminal, scanner, and reporting tool is configured to operate as one cohesive environment. The result is a streamlined system that supports both daily operations and long-term growth, with the flexibility to scale as a business grows.

Support does not end at installation. Training, service, repairs, and upgrades are all part of the

relationship, and four decades of continuity mean many businesses still deal with the same technicians they started with.

For First Nations enterprises operating gas bars, convenience stores, restaurants, hotels, and community-owned retail, that consistency is the point: one partner who knows the operation and keeps it running, whether it is a single till or a network of locations.

More than forty years on, the company continues to pair modern payment and inventory technology with the same hands-on service and long-term relationships that built its reputation, keeping businesses of every size moving forward with confidence.

Tru-North Supply

Serving Communities with Commitment and Care. TRU-NORTHSUPPLY.COM

What if everything a community needed could be accessed through one trusted source, delivered with care, respect, and understanding? That is exactly what Tru-North Supply was built to do, a reliable, community-driven provider focused exclusively on serving First Nation communities across Canada.

For more than five years, Tru-North has stood beside First Nations families and communities. It is a true one-stop shop, assembling complete home packages, furniture, appliances, and mattresses alongside men's, women's, children's, and baby essentials that can outfit a single household or an entire housing project.

It was founded on a simple premise: a community should not have to drive five hours to buy a couch. The supply chain should come to the people. An online catalogue brings the store to the community, and a dedicated land-based division supplies equipment and gear for traditional lifestyles and on-the-land activities.

That blend matters, because community support must include both modern living and cultural connection. Tru-North leads with honesty and kindness, and every interaction is handled with care, respect, and attention to detail.

Now part of the Birch Group of Companies, Tru-North operates as an exclusive First Nation supplier, serving Social Housing and Child and Family Services programs from two Winnipeg locations, including its home at 30 Midland Street.

This summer, Tru-North hosts Grill, Gather, Connect!, a private social event bringing Chiefs, councillors, and community program leaders together for BBQ, live music, and connection. Full details are on the following page.

Grill, Gather, Connect!

Tru-North Supply invites you to a private summer social, enjoy BBQ, live music, and the chance to network and connect with others across First Nations programs and leadership.

We warmly invite Chiefs, councillors, caseworkers, program coordinators, and community department representatives overseeing programs such as Jordan’s Principle, Housing, Child & Family Services (CFS), Wellness, Health, Land-Base, Income Assistance, Prevention, and Post Majority Support.

A T E 29 July 2026

R S V P 431-275-0145 (Danica) · or scan the QR code on the invitation

▪ Live band

▪ BBQ & refreshments

▪ Local artists, Brooklyn Rudolph & Shawndrea Witwicki

▪ Exclusive showroom tour

▪ Clearance shopping available

▪ Amazing door prizes

ICMD

Bringing Healthcare Back to the Community. ICMD.CA

Across Canada, access to healthcare is not equal. For many Indigenous communities, particularly in remote and northern regions, access to basic medical services, pharmacy care, and consistent support remains limited. ICMD is working to change that.

Indigenous Canadian Medical Dispensaries (ICMD) is an Indigenous-owned and operated healthcare organization that launched in 2018 under a simple banner: putting healthcare in the hands of the people. At the core of its model is an integrated system combining clinics, pharmacy services, and digital care.

Patients can access doctor consultations, prescriptions, and ongoing support in person or through telemedicine, connecting with doctors and nurses by video and remote monitoring, with Indigenous wellness priorities and traditional healing practices built in. Pharmacy services remain central, offering not only medications but guidance, monitoring, and long-term support.

Community benefit is designed into the model. ICMD returns a significant share of its profits to

the communities it serves and prioritizes employment from within those communities, helping build local capacity and keep economic benefits close to home.

Its reach has grown through partnership. An agreement with NamasteMD extends virtual patient consultations to more than 1.5 million Indigenous community members, and the organization's work has been profiled in national Indigenous media as a model for community-owned care.

In November 2025, ICMD was featured at the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce's Indigenous Health Innovations event in Winnipeg, part of a growing recognition that accessible, dignified, community-led healthcare is not a nice-to-have but a foundation for stronger communities.

Shortline Moving Solutions

Trusted Logistics. Proven Performance. Moving What Matters Most. SHORTLINEMOVING.CA

In a world where reliability, timing, and trust matter more than ever, Shortline Moving Solutions has established itself as one of Manitoba's most dependable logistics and moving companies. Founded in 2015 by Alexander Hupe, it has grown from a Winnipeg moving company into a diversified logistics operation.

Shortline serves residential, commercial, and industrial clients across Winnipeg, rural Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, and beyond. What sets it apart is not just its ability to move goods, but its ability to manage the entire process with precision and care.

Its service lines now run well beyond household moves, spanning commercial and office relocations, heavy-equipment transport, international moves, northern-roads work, storage, and full third-party logistics, all backed by experienced crews and a modern 22-truck fleet ranging from half-tons to tractor trailers.

Recent growth reflects that trajectory. Shortline has expanded into a new 50,000-plus-square-foot warehouse on a major truck route, within five

minutes of Portage and Main. It is climate-controlled, monitored around the clock, and secured with advanced systems, giving clients far more room for both short-term and long-term storage.

That warehouse also anchors the company's cross-docking and distribution work, letting Shortline act as a single logistics partner for businesses that need goods received, stored, and delivered without disruption.

One of Shortline's most valuable strengths is its ability to operate in the most challenging environments. Through expertise in northern and remote logistics, it supports communities and industries where access is limited and timing is critical.

Canada Nano Silver

Cutting-Edge Innovation in Wellness and Sustainable Technology. CANADANANOSILVER.COM

Canada Nano Silver is a proud member of the Birch Group of Companies, bringing nano-silver wellness innovation to Indigenous communities and partners across Canada, and shipping worldwide. Based in St. Andrews, Manitoba, it offers a curated catalog of Silver Biotics and SilverCeuticals products.

The line is built on patented SilverSol nano-silver technology and spans daily immune support, skin care, oral care, and wound care. Its shelves carry everything from Armor Gel for minor cuts and burns to mineral-rich silver lozenges, antimicrobial skin creams, facial serums, and sinus sprays.

The company curates research summaries, provider observations, and article references so customers can review the evidence for themselves rather than take marketing at face value. That transparency is central to how it earns trust.

That commitment to innovation has been recognized with a 2025 Best of State award for

Medical Innovation. The products reach customers online and through retail partners, including Winnipeg locations such as World of Water on Portage Avenue.

With retail partners spanning Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, and direct-to-door shipping worldwide, the catalog continues to grow alongside interest in accessible, science-backed wellness.

In everything it does, Canada Nano Silver reflects the broader Birch Group vision: building partnerships that create long-term value for people and place, always in a good way.

Sjoberg and Associates

Protecting Families. Building Futures. Independent Advice You Can Trust. SJOBERGANDASSOCIATES.CA

Sjoberg and Associates is a Manitoba-based insurance and financial advisory firm founded and led by Terry Sjoberg, an Independent Life Insurance Broker and Financial Advisor. For more than 25 years, the firm has served families and businesses across Manitoba with a personal, relationship-first approach.

As an independent advisor, Terry is not tied to any single provider, allowing him to shop the market and build strategies around each client's specific needs. Beyond life insurance, the firm's offering spans travel, disability, and critical-illness coverage, group benefits, and personalized investment and long-term financial planning.

That range means a client can plan for the whole picture in one place, protecting income today while building toward retirement, education, and the transfer of wealth between generations. Every recommendation is grounded in trust,

transparency, and long-standing relationships.

Whether the client is a young family taking out first coverage, a business owner protecting key people, or a community organization planning for the long term, the work starts the same way: understanding the situation fully before recommending anything.

The firm's approach is patient and educational rather than transactional. Clients are helped to understand their options clearly, so decisions are made with confidence and revisited as life changes.

For families, business owners, and communities alike, the goal is the same: protect what matters most and build a foundation that lasts. It is independent advice delivered the way good advice always should be, with the client's interests first.

Mindful Energy Solutions

Sustainable Energy. Smarter Heat. A Negative Carbon Footprint. MINDFULENERGYSOLUTIONS.COM

Mindful Energy Solutions (MESI) is redefining how the world heats its spaces. Through patented immersion-cooling technology, MESI captures the heat generated by high-performance computing and repurposes it into clean, reliable warmth, turning energy that was once wasted into a renewable heating solution with a negative carbon footprint.

At the centre of the system is the BlockHeater, an energy-supply unit delivering 230kW through immersion cooling, powered by a series of CSA-approved and UL-listed ThermaTank units and monitored by the CNTLHub control centre.

The technology is dual-functional, providing primary or auxiliary heat while performing computing tasks. It is deployable in a single day, engineered to run quietly, and designed to extend hardware lifespan rather than shorten it.

As the only CSA-approved and UL-listed system of its kind, and the exclusive Canadian partner for Cargill's plant-based NatureCool immersion fluid,

MESI delivers deployment-ready heat for communities, industry, and operations of every scale, grounded in a genuine commitment to the three pillars of ESG.

The story has begun to travel beyond the trade press. MESI has been spotlighted on The Birch Show and by innovation outlets, as interest grows in technology that turns the waste heat of computing into usable warmth, exactly when demand for both heat and computing is climbing.

Recent milestones include the completion of a two-phase immersion tank and MESI's first production manufacturing run, well timed as AI-driven demand accelerates a global immersion-cooling market projected to grow from roughly $930 million in 2026 to nearly $5 billion by 2033.

Nano Tech Home Rejuvenation

Restore, Don't Replace. Protection From Within. NANOTECHWPG.CA

Nano Tech Home Rejuvenation is a Winnipeg-based company using advanced nanotechnology to restore and protect the surfaces homeowners rely on, including roofs, concrete, and wood. Rather than tearing off and replacing what still works, its GoNano NuRoof treatments penetrate below the surface to restore flexibility, repel water, and shield against Winnipeg's extreme freeze-thaw, sun, salt, and hail.

As Winnipeg's only authorized dealer of the GoNano system, the technology featured on CBC's Dragons' Den, where it earned a deal from tech mogul Michele Romanow, Nano Tech can extend the life of an asphalt roof by 10 to 15 years in a single, one-day application.

The eco-friendly, non-toxic treatment does not paint or coat. It bonds at the molecular level, strengthening the surface from within while keeping its natural appearance. On roofs that have faded over time, it can even restore much of the original color.

Winnipeg homeowners have put it to the test. After a recent golf-ball-sized hail storm, treated roofs came through with only minor granule loss and no structural damage, a real-world result the company points to as proof that protection from within holds up when the weather does not.

The service now reaches well beyond roofs, protecting concrete driveways and walkways, stucco, and wood decks and fences, each with a GoNano system engineered for its material and exposure. The work is backed by tiered, transferable warranties of up to 15 years on newer roofs, which carry over if the home is sold.

With full roof replacement often costing $8,000 to $18,000 or more, Nano Tech offers a smarter, lower-cost alternative: protect what you already have, before you spend thousands replacing it.