Open Ledgers Project
Plains artists once drew their own histories across the pages of accounting ledgers. We keep a ledger too: public money meant for Indigenous businesses and communities should be traceable by the people it is meant to serve. This site collects the documented record of what was funded, who oversaw it, what government records show, and what is still being withheld.
Accountability to community, not against it
Indigenous organizations are entitled to self-determination. They are also accountable to the communities they represent and to the public funders whose money they hold. This project supports that accountability with records, not opinions.
- Documented facts onlyGovernment records, audited statements and published reporting. Nothing from rumour.
- Every claim has a sourcePage references point to released records; links point to the original story.
- No allegations against peopleWhere roles overlap, we describe the structure and ask how it was managed.
- Right of replyAny organization or person named here can respond, and responses are published.
The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)
ITAC is the national association for Indigenous tourism, funded mainly by federal departments and by Destination Canada, the federal Crown corporation for tourism marketing. In 2026 ITAC paused its programs and laid off nearly all staff. Indigenous businesses approved for grants, and Elders, artists and vendors who worked at its February 2026 conference in Edmonton, reported going unpaid for months.
Federal funding to ITAC
All federal departments combined, as reported from ITAC's annual reports and statements. Sources: APTN News, April 22, 2026; TravelPress, May 11, 2026.
Destination Canada's contributions
| Period | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $2 million in funding and $950,000 in-kind support, announced publicly | Destination Canada, July 16, 2021 |
| 2022-27 | 5-year MOU signed March 2022; base investment of $2.2M a year for the first two years, plus about $1M in-kind in year one | DC release A-2026-003, P1 p.31 |
| FY 2023 | $3,426,655 | ITAC audited statements, P2 p.45 |
| FY 2024 | $2,350,000 | ITAC audited statements, P2 p.45 |
| Jan 2026 | A payment to ITAC; amount withheld Section 18(a), 18(b) | DC release, P4 p.62 |
2026, as the records and reporting show it
Newest first. "DC release" means Destination Canada's response to access request A-2026-003; "P3 p.28" means Part 3, page 28 of that release.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 21 | Destination Canada releases 456 pages, about 300 withheld in full or nearly in full. A complaint is filed with the Information Commissioner of Canada the same day. | DC release; OIC complaint |
| Aug 12 | The 10-business-day period for ITAC to cure its default expires. | DC release, P4 p.54 |
| Jul 23 | Destination Canada issues ITAC a formal Notice of Default on its 2026 Global Partnering Agreement. The list of unmet deliverables is withheld Section 21(1)(b). | DC release, P3 pp.28–29 |
| Jul 9 | Destination Canada board slides titled "Partnering Agreement: Termination & Considerations" and "Management Recommendation". Content withheld. | DC release, P4 pp.57–64 |
| Jun 22 | ITAC's CEO says Destination Canada froze roughly $2.7M to $3M a year in funding. | PAX |
| May 15 | Indigenous Tourism B.C., Indigenous Tourism Ontario and the Nova Scotia Indigenous Tourism Enterprise Network formally separate from ITAC, citing financial management and transparency concerns. | CBC |
| May 8 | ITAC pauses all programs; its CEO becomes the only active employee. | APTN |
| May 6 | A May 5 letter from Indigenous businesses and advocates to ITAC's board, copied to Destination Canada's CEO, is circulated inside Destination Canada as "FYI for context only - no actions needed". | DC release, P4 p.94 |
| Apr 30 | CBC reports 48 grants to Indigenous businesses still outstanding. ISED says it will review. | CBC |
| Apr 22 | Destination Canada briefing note on its 2026 agreement with ITAC; the annual value is withheld. | DC release, P3 p.30 |
| Apr 22 | Elders, artists and vendors report going unpaid after ITAC's February conference in Edmonton. | APTN |
| March | ITAC staff unofficially tell Destination Canada that most staff were laid off. Destination Canada informs its board. | DC release, P3 p.30 |
| Feb 17–19 | ITAC hosts the International Indigenous Tourism Conference in Edmonton. | APTN |
| January | Destination Canada pays ITAC; amount withheld. | DC release, P4 p.62 |
What the released records show, and what they hide
- The agreements are almost entirely blacked out.Only cover pages of the MOU and Global Partnering Agreements #2 to #4 were released; terms, schedules and appendices are withheld.P1 pp.3–137
- Funding values are withheld even where they are public.The value of the 2021 agreement is withheld although Destination Canada announced it, and ITAC's audited statements in the same release show the yearly contributions.P1 p.2; P2 p.45; P3 p.30
- Termination was under review by July 2026.Slide titles survive; the recommendation does not.P4 pp.57–64
- Legal advice was sought from April 2026.Senior emails about ITAC are withheld as solicitor-client privileged.P3 pp.1–3, 25–33
- An internal audit touches ITAC.One page is withheld as a draft internal audit report.P3 p.37
- Records were not found for several questions.Nothing was released on how operators were chosen for national campaigns, or on the Indigenous Tourism Destination Fund.Request items 4 and 5
One director, three boards
During the period under review, one person held roles on the funder's board, the national association's board and the Alberta association's board. These roles are matters of public record.
The person is Brenda Holder. No allegation is made against them. The question is structural: when a director of the funder also helps lead the funded organization, how were conflicts declared and managed? Destination Canada released no recusal records, and withheld what the declarations say.
Access requests and complaints
Records requests filed by the project's founders since August 2026 about Indigenous tourism funding and oversight, across five governments and agencies.
| Body | File | Asked about | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destination Canada | A-2026-003 | Agreements with ITAC, funding decisions, board records, conflicts of interest | Complaint filed 456 pages released Oct 21, mostly withheld; complaint to the Information Commissioner Oct 21 |
| PrairiesCan | A-2026-00009 | Federal funding to Indigenous Tourism Alberta | Extended Response date pushed back 246 days to May 27, 2027; narrowing proposed |
| Indigenous Services Canada | 2 requests | ITAC and Indigenous tourism funding | In progress Received August 24, 2026 |
| Travel Alberta | TA-2026-001 | Indigenous tourism funding records | Under review Extended to Dec 4 for some records; Alberta OIPC expedited inquiry 045117 opened Oct 15 |
| Alberta Indigenous Relations | IR000-2026-G-10 | Oversight of Indigenous Tourism Alberta funding; how Indigenous identity is verified for programs | Fee dispute $475.20 fee estimate; public-interest fee waiver requested Oct 15 |
| City of Edmonton | 2026-G-0561 | City records | Extended Extension notice Oct 5 |
| Auditor General of Canada | Letter | Suggested performance audit of federal funding delivered through ITAC | Forwarded Sent Aug 27; forwarded to the teams that audit ISC and ISED, Sep 15 |
The federal institutions waived all fees for these requests, in line with Treasury Board's 2024 direction to remove fees as a barrier for Indigenous requesters. The Alberta requests were charged fees.
National reporting, April to June 2026
If you are named here, or you were affected
Contact: [email protected]