P.E.I. Mi'kmaq groups urged to consider social entrepreneurship

​First Nations groups on P.E.I. gathered this week to hear more about the concept of social enterprise — creating local businesses whose primary concern is social rather than economic. 

Funding is a very colonial construct that's not getting us anywhere.— Shaun Loney

More and more Indigenous groups are turning to the notion, becoming inspired to shun dependency on government and become their own problem-solvers.   

"Social enterprises are non-profit businesses. We hire people with criminal records facing barriers to employment and we end up lowering utility bills in low-income housing," said Shaun Loney, one of two guest speakers at the event held at The Guild in Charlottetown Thursday. 

'Different way of thinking'

Loney is considered to be one of Canada's social enterprise gurus — he's been part of 12 successful startups and co-founder of Aki Energy in Manitoba as well as Build, Inc. — an acronym for Building Urban Industries for Local Development. He's also the author of the book An Army of Problem Solvers: Reconciliation and the Solutions Economy.

"There's got to be a different way of thinking," said Darcy Wood, who is CEO of Aki Foods and Aki Energy in Manitoba.  

"In our community we have a lack of employment but I look at it in a positive way, that we have a big labour pool," said Wood, who is Oji-Cree and has served as Chief of Garden Hill First Nation, the remote, fly-in community in Manitoba where he lives. 

Garden Hill has a high rate of diabetes and Wood said there's only one local store. Food, especially fresh produce, is expensive. 

So a few years ago, the community took matters into its own hands and created Aki Foods.

Last year, it launched a community-owned and run farm Meechim Farm, which raises chickens and turkeys and grows a wide range of fruit and vegetables. 

'A very colonial construct'

The farm has taught community members about growing and raising food and is creating jobs, as well as healthier lifestyles. The farm includes a subscription vegetable box program and school breakfast and lunch programs.

One of the main concepts of social enterprise is to create them with no government funding.

"Funding is a very colonial construct that's not getting us anywhere," said Loney. Furthermore, he said, governments save money on health care and incarceration when Indigenous communities carry out their own ideas. 

"We're asking governments — will you agree to save money? We go to impact investors, like foundations, for loans," Loney said.  

What Island Mi'kmaq learned

Members of P.E.I.'s Abegweit First Nation and Lennox Island First Nation first took part in a two-day "changemaker" workshop in Charlottetown. The guest entrepreneurs presented details of projects they'd been involved with over the years.

Then, the guests were treated to tours of the Bideford Shellfish Hatchery and Abegweit Gardens and Preserves, both run by the P.E.I. bands. The businesses have met local needs for food and also created jobs, skills and revenues.

Jenene Wooldridge, director of operations for Abegweit First Nation, said she can see new ideas now brewing as a result of the sessions.

"A million and one ideas — there's so many things that need to be done. And it was so great to see so many changemakers in the room," Wooldridge said. 

"Really, it's common sense but sometimes not always so common," she said. "Focusing on solutions as opposed to working on the problems — at the end of the day, problems are always more expensive than solutions." 

The guests also met with government officials, and some provincial staff attended the presentation on social enterprise. 

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