Journal of Aboriginal Economic Development
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Inspiring Aboriginal Youth Achievement: One Path to Business School
No full textIn recent years, however, numerous development and renewal projects have begun to change the physical landscape of the North End - most notably on Selkirk Avenue. Due to her extensive corporate experience, she was tasked with co-coaching the school\u27s teams for E-Spirit, which is a national business plan competition for Aboriginal youth developed by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). In 2008, however, Paul Martin\u27s Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative approached Children of the Earth and assisted in the creation of an elective credit course that enabled the teams to develop their business plans from concept through to completion - and receive a credit towards their graduation - without interfering with their family responsibilities. In March 2012, Lenny was selected to participate in the Aboriginal Business Students - Western Roundtable discussion, as organized by Cape Breton University\u27s Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies, in Edmonton Alberta
Factors Influencing the Economic and Social Prosperity of Aboriginal Peoples
No full textNumerous historical and current factors have combined to influence the economic and social prosperity of Aboriginal peoples. This paper reviews the contrary governmental and Aboriginal perspectives of the history of the last few hundred years and provides an overview of the current situation in Aboriginal communities in North America. This is followed by a discussion of economic and social development factors taken from qualitative and quantitative studies found in the literature. Conclusions and suggestions for future research are provided
Ch’nook Indigenous Business Education Initiative
No full textThis article focuses on the need for business education that is relevant to Aboriginal youth and senior leaders. It describes Ch\u27nook, an organization that provides support for post-secondary Aboriginal business education across three generations of participants. First, senior Aboriginal leaders and entrepreneurs who need business training (Aboriginal Management Certificate Program); second, post-secondary students enrolled in British Columbia (and soon Canada) by providing them with scholarships, bursaries, mentoring and internship opportunities (Indigenous Business Education Network/Ch\u27nook Scholars); and, third, it promotes business as a viable career option for Aboriginal high school students (Ch\u27nook Cousins). Ch\u27nook\u27s efforts led to the signing of the British Columbia Indigenous Business Education Accord with the province\u27s twenty-five colleges and universities and it has a cooperative agreement with four British Columbia universities. Ch\u27nook supports Aboriginal students in part by supplementing their studies with a strong Aboriginal perspective and context, which is often missing from their home institution\u27s business programs. Working with community, business, and academic partners, Ch\u27nook promotes business as a viable career choice for Aboriginal participants and supports them in graduating from management and business education studies
Aboriginal Employment: Improved in 2011, but still has a ways to go
No full textEmployment is an important indicator of economic development. The Aboriginal employment rate in Canada increased to 55.8 in 2011, from 53.7 in 2010. This was an increase of 19,700 jobs. It increased more for Aboriginal men than for women in 2011. The strong relationship between higher levels of education and employment highlights a clear path for improving employment rates. Ontario experienced the greatest increase in employment with 8,800 new Aboriginal jobs in 2011, with employment growing in every province except Prince Edward Island, where it was flat. It was basically stable in the three territories. The sectors experiencing the greatest increases in employment were in retail trade and in manufacturing
“Membertou Always Wanted To Succeed”: The Membertou Business Model
No full textMembertou First Nation, an urban reserve located within the city limits of Sydney, Nova Scotia, has experienced a transformation unmatched by other Canadian First Nations communities as a result of the establishment of a new governance structure and approach to economic development.1 Studies of Indigenous entrepreneurship and cultural tourism in the Canadian context have highlighted this Mi\u27kmaw2 community and credited the "Membertou Model" as the key to its success (see for example Kayseas, Hindle & Anderson, 2006; Brown, Pyke & Johnson, 2008; Johnstone, 2008; Kayseas, 2009). Despite its proximity to the city\u27s urban centre, the reserve fought extreme levels of poverty such as inadequate housing conditions, high unemployment rates, and until the 1960s, restricted access to municipal services such as sewer and garbage collection (Membertou Band Council, 1983). In the mid-1990s, however, Membertou began to experience an economic and socio-cultural renaissance. Since the mid-1990s, Membertou has successfully implemented a community based development plan that enables them to compete in the mainstream economy while improving the quality of life of their members (Cardinal, 2005; Cornell, Jorensen, Kalt & Splide, 2005; Thayer Scott, 2004). THE MEMBERTOU MODEL Bernd Christmas, former Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel for Membertou, explained the Membertou Model as "a \u27First Nations progression model\u27 (see Figure 1), based on using a business approach to government, management, and economic development to achieve social objectives" (quoted in Thayer Scott, 2004, p. 14)
2011 Economic Developer Of The Year Award Winners
No full textIn the summer of 2012, Neechie Gear celebrated the Grand Opening of its store located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Since expanding from online retail to operating a retail store, Neechie gear has enjoyed substantial increases in sales and continues to grow. [...]of his life experience, Kendal has learned firsthand what sports can do for youth by developing elite athletes and future leaders. First Nations are taking a larger step and doing business outside of the community. Congratulations Grant! MERE Project For the past ten years Grant has worked tirelessly on the MERE Project - a wind farm on M\u27Chigeeng First Nation land to harness renewable wind energy that would be sold to the Ontario Power Authority for power grid distribution