The Metlakatla Development Corporation has been operating in the traditional territory of the Ts'msyen Nation for more than three decades.

The planning that would lead to the formation of the Metlakatla Development Corporation began well before that as members sought safe and reliable transportation that would link residents of the community to neighbouring Prince Rupert. After years of planning and securing financing, the Metlakatla Development Corporation launched its first business, the Metlakatla Ferry Service.

Since that first ferry set sail between Metlakatla and Prince Rupert, the team at the Metlakatla Development Corporation have never looked back or slowed down. Over the next several years, under the direction of the Board of Directors and CEO Harold Leighton, the Metlakatla Development Corporation prospered and grew to include a ferry service linking Prince Rupert to remote coastal communities such as Kitkatla and Hartley Bay, a full-service gas station, a training centre, a logistics firm regarded as the best in the Northwest, and several real estate holdings on the North Coast.

Through it all, the Metlakatla Development Corporation has gained a reputation of operational excellence and as an organization that both looks to the future while preserving the values of the Maxłaxaała First Nation. This reputation has made the Metlakatla Development Corporation a desired partner for many businesses looking to grow or expand their operations in Maxłaxaała Territory.