Indigenous-led economic development projects get federal funding boost

Eighteen Indigenous-led economic development projects in northern Ontario are getting a financial boost from the federal government.

Patty Hajdu — MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, Minister of Indigenous Services, and Minister Responsible for FedNor — announced nearly $7 million in funding for the projects at a media event on Friday.

A dozen of the projects are in northwestern Ontario, and the remaining six in the northeast. They include:

• $960,000 for the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund, to "enable the organization to offer community and business support services, as well as access to capital for small and medium-sized businesses for a three-year period";
• $300,000 for Matawa First Nations Management to help increase private-sector development in member communities;
• $300,000 for Bearskin Lake First Nation to hire an economic development officer for three years;
• About $279,000 for Cat Lake First Nation, to complete a sustainable ecological and economic master plan, and 
• About $514,000 to support the design and construction of a bioenergy production facility in Lac Seul First Nation.

A full list of projects being funded is available on the FedNor website.

"I think the projects that are in remote communities are really exciting, because obviously remote communities struggle much more in terms of economic development," Hajdu said. "Oftentimes it's harder for people to go into business, promote their business and distribute their products."

"There are a number of different projects that will support all kinds of action and remote communities, support for small businesses, support for communities actually to think about how they contribute to the power grid, for example," she said. "These are the kinds of projects that I think help accelerate economic independence for First Nations."

David Paul Achneepineskum, CEO of Matawa First Nations Management, said the funding is very important to First Nations communities.

"We need to build our own economy within our communities as well as within the Matawa region, as we call it," he said. "We have to be in the forefront in terms of being there to build."

"We don't want to do it on our own, but we want to build partnerships with the current businesses that are out there willing to work with us."