"This report is a summary of the second of a series of symposiums organized by the Sustainable Communities Directorate of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). The purpose of the symposium was to stimulate discussion between community development experts from across the country and to explore strategies to integrate First Nations, Métis, and Inuit community development principles and approaches with government programs and policies."
"Although they express optimism, Canadian executives see more barriers than enablers in the public policies and institutions that influence their economic relationships with Aboriginal people.
"The role of the CCAR is to: Facilitate learning, networking and professional development. Demonstrate the importance and value of a corporate Aboriginal relations strategy. Share innovative examples of managing corporate Aboriginal relations and partnerships. Provide leadership by leveraging the Council members' knowledge and expertise to address business and societal challenges related to Aboriginal issues."
"Challenging traditional notions of development, these essays critically examine bottom-up, community economic development strategies in a wide variety of contexts: as a means of improving lives in northern, rural and inner-city settings; shaped and driven by women and by Aboriginal people; aimed at employment creation for the most marginalized. Most authors have employed a participatory research methodology.
"I suggest that geographical isolation segregates individuals and communities from linking and bridging networks; reliance on bonding networks in such locales often results in limited access to financial and human resources. In places where networks extend beyond the community, larger pools of resources are accessed. The dissertation highlights, however, the potential detrimental role that such external networks can play in the family lives of marginal communities.
"This paper focuses on the interaction between social capital and entrepreneurship in Aboriginal communities in Canada. Using statistical and interview data from three First Nations communities in northern Ontario, I examine if and how bonding networks turn into tangible resources for business development. The paper also highlights ways in which community relationships hinder entrepreneurship and turn into barriers to economic development.
"This paper provides an analysis of policy discourse as it concerns Indigenous labour market development in Northern Alberta. In the process, the authors unearth the manner in which current federal and provincial government policy obscures a long history of attempted colonial domination with respect to Indigenous peoples in Canada more generally. Typically, economic booms are spoken of as an opportunity to democratize labour opportunities, through the discourse of “partnership” and “social inclusion” in particular.
"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).
