Niilo McCloud Riksman Edwards

Niilo was born in Alert Bay on a stormy night with southeasterly winds gusting up to 74km/h. Through rough seas and in labour, his mother was transported in a small boat from Sointula, the small fishing village off the coast of BC where Niilo was raised. An entrepreneur from a young age, Niilo led work crews and created economic opportunity where options were severely limited – a skill he would carry through his stunningly successful career.

Right out of high school, Niilo took an interest in policy and worked for his local MLA. This experience - plus studying public administration at the University of Ottawa and working as a constituency advisor in Ottawa’s House of Commons - led him to become the executive assistant to Canadian Senator Gerry St. Germain (Métis). When St. Germain retired, Niilo moved back to BC and worked for the First Nations Financial Management Board. This work led him to co-found the nonprofit the First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) with several BC-based First Nations. Since its beginnings over a decade ago, the FNMPC has served as a bridge between First Nations and governments/private sector on public policy and business opportunities. Niilo said that “advancing work through the First Nations Major Projects Coalition for the benefit of its members has been an absolute highlight of my career.” 

Over 10 years of dedicated work, Niilo and the FNMPC team were able to secure equity stake options for First Nations in major infrastructure projects across Canada and to advocate for a National Indigenous Loan Guarantee program to improve Indigenous access to investment capital. In 2024, both the Canadian and BC governments announced Indigenous loan guarantee programs. 

Niilo’s successes have not gone unnoticed. Niilo was recognized in TIME Magazine's 2024 list of 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business and awarded BC Business Entrepreneur of The Year 2024. 

Niilo was a kidney transplant recipient and an advocate for organ donation. Niilo’s soul mate and wife of 16 years, Rachael Durie, was the star of one of the most beautiful love stories: when in 2018 Niilo went into sudden kidney failure, Rachael ultimately gave him the most incredible gift, one of her own kidneys. This act of true love caught the eye of others and was featured in a segment on Global News in September 2023. On December 16, 2024, at age 37, Niilo passed away from post transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, a lymphoma caused by the immunosuppressing medications required to prevent rejection of his transplanted kidney. 

Niilo leaves behind the love of his life, Rachael Durie, his mentor and adoptive father Gerry St. Germain, his best friend Mark Podlasly, the FNMPC team who are all like family to him, and the many friends and family who have been profoundly lucky to have had Niilo in our lives. If you would like to make a donation in Niilo’s honor, please make them to the Organ Donation and Transplant Research Foundation of B.C., www.odtrf.org.