Don Matthew has a lot on his plate. The 45-year-old is both a band councillor for Simpcw First Nation and the founder and owner of Chinook Cove Contracting – a successful timber harvesting, pipeline maintenance, mechanical site prep and road building company in B.C. …Chinook Cove Contracting had its start in 1998, a significant year for many First Nations people in Canada. “After the Delgamuukw decision I could see a swing where more opportunities were coming for First Nations peoples,” Matthew says. The Degamuukw decision was a ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada in December 1997 that set precedents in Canada on legal cases involving Aboriginal Title. Matthew is a member of Simpcw First Nation, a division of the Secwepemc, or Shuswap Nation. The band’s territory covers about five million hectares of land from Barriere to north of McBride, B.C.