Community

"Aboriginal people share a common commitment to address the economic challenges facing their communities. Though not widely recognized, many communities throughout the country are beginning to experience economic success in areas ranging from small business development to larger scale commercial projects. Aboriginal people can, and have, succeeded on “their own terms”, adapting mainstream business practices to their own strongly held values and cultures. For complex reasons, others continue to struggle.

"Across Canada, rural and remote First Nations face a significant 'digital divide'. As self-determining autonomous nations in Canada, these communities are building broadband systems to deliver public services to their members and residents. To address this challenge, First Nations are working towards a variety of innovative, locally driven broadband development initiatives. This paper contributes a theoretical discussion that frames our understanding of these initiatives by drawing on the paradigm of the 'First Mile' (Paisley & Richardson, 1998).

"This book traces and analyses the recent evolution in thinking about the development of aboriginal people's communities. Since 1969, aboriginal people have set three goals for the future -- economic self-reliance, self-government, and cultural autonomy. Examples discussed in this book illustrate the central issues in economic, political and cultural development, how aboriginal people view those issues, and how they have set about solving development problems.

"Small business is increasingly attractive to Aboriginal communities, offering opportunities for individual and community autonomy. This book examines the growing small business sector in Aboriginal communities across Canada."

"The purpose of the project was to investigate what other First Nations have done to support their small business operators, and to create a process to look at what could be done in your community."

The tools, traditions and relationships that it takes to re-build First Nations, to realize good governance, were the three key elements discussed at the Aboriginal Financial Management Association of B.C.- INAC conference on Governance and Accountability, held in Vancouver, June 10-11, 2002.

"Aboriginal economic development” differs from other forms of development by emphasizing aboriginal values and community involvement. Joint ventures, while providing business advantages, may not be able to contribute to aboriginal economic development. This paper examines two joint ventures in the interior of British Columbia to examine their ability or inability to contribute the extra dimensions of development desired by aboriginal communities.

"This case study profiles the Cameco Corporation, a uranium company headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with a special emphasis on its initiatives related to Aboriginal business and community partnerships. The article identifies what Cameco has done to ensure successful relations with Northern Aboriginal Communities, how successful Aboriginal Business partnerships have been formed, and presents an overall model for how Aboriginal peoples and Corporate Canada can cooperate to drive economic growth for all parties involved."

"Aboriginal peoples of Canada already possess the assets they need to make a sustainable treaty economy. These assets are held in defective administrative forms by federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Moreover, these governments take most of the tax revenue and all the surplus value. Treaty beneficiaries need to rethink Canada and take on the world, rediscovering and unleashing the economic potential in the treaty economy to create sustainable development and sustainable communities."

"In this study, Isobel Findlay and Wanda Wuttunee explore innovation in Aboriginal women’s community economic development (CED) in Canada. Their research is centred on three case studies of successful CED in urban, rural and remote settings. The stories of the dedicated women who have made a significant mark within their communities show that it is possible to pursue business objectives while living the values of their culture and assuming their rightful place in the community. In this context, the authors critique current approaches and tools for measuring the impact of CED.