Boozhoo, members!
We’ll be heading into the fall very soon, and we hope you and your communities and families have found time to be together and rest this summer.
The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association is now heading into its third fiscal year, and we couldn’t be more proud of how our organization has grown.
The ABPA launched in the spring of 2019 with a small group of dedicated Anishnawbe business owners, professionals, and community representatives. It has now grown to include more than fifty members, 110 First Nation communities, and a network across Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and Quebec leading many advocacy campaigns and events to successfully raise the profile of Indigenous economy in our region.
It will be a busy fall for us, as we look forward to hosting our Annual General Meeting on October 6th, and we hope to see you there! We’ll be sharing details of our speakers and special guests very soon, so save the date and keep an eye on our pages in the coming weeks.
Chi-Miigwetch,
Jason
Welcome Shkoday Abinojiiwak Obimiwedoon! Shkoday was developed to start the Aboriginal Head Start initiative and to provide opportunities for children, youth and families through increased participation in cultural and neighbourhood based programming. It was incorporated on January 20, 1997 and initially sponsored by the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre. Visit Shkoday online:
The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association has once again teamed up with the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce and media partner NetNewsLedger to host a candidates debate prior to the upcoming election. We invite you to participate in a brief survey to let us know what YOUR priorities and concerns are. We want to have the needs of our Indigenous business community in mind when we prepare to speak to the candidates, and we’ll be streaming the video on our channels next week.
Member Indigeno Travel invites you to visit their new website, and contact Indigeno for your business travel needs. Using Indigeno assists their goal to create 100 jobs for Indigenous people in the travel industry, reflecting the commitment to Call to Action 92 for business and Reconciliation.
Indigeno offers a full corporate travel slate of services and an online booking tool for convenient organizing of flights, leisure packages, cruises and tours.
Our most recent event in our Pathways to Indigenous Prosperity web series can be viewed below by selecting the image. We spoke with Shannin Metatawabin of NACCA, Tina Sheriden of CreeQuest, Wayne Ross of Coral Rapids Power, and Jason Batise of Wabun Tribal Council to hear their perspectives and advice on building Indigenous prosperity from the ground up with entrepreneurship, strategic partnership, and community engagement.
Thunder Bay CEDC – Digital Mainstreet applications are now open!
Digital Main Street (DMS) is a program focused on assisting small businesses with their adoption of technologies. The Digital Transformation Grant (DTG) program will provide funding for training, advisory support, and grants to brick-and-mortar small businesses looking to increase their capacity through digital transformation.
Sponsorship with the ABPA
The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association is seeking sponsors for this year’s Annual General Meeting. When you sponsor the ABPA, you are contributing to our advocacy, our schedule of events and communications, our support of Indigenous suppliers and service providers. You can read more about our sponsorship opportunities by clicking the conference icon below, or contacting us at:
Canada Council for Aboriginal Business is proud to introduce the Hydro One Business Grant.
Hydro One is committed to supporting Indigenous-owned businesses in Ontario. This program will help to further empower Indigenous businesses by awarding 28 recipients with grants and CCAB membership, providing support to help Indigenous-owned businesses thrive as many have experienced challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The grant is administered through CCAB’s Tools and Financing for Aboriginal Business (TFAB) program to enhance Aboriginal entrepreneurship through providing access to development and networks. This program supports Hydro One’s commitment to economic reconciliation through their recent commitment to achieving a target of 5% overall annual spend with Indigenous businesses by 2026.
For Your Interest
Looking for som Ec Dev news for your afternoon coffee?
Enjoy this roundup of recent articles and news pieces from our region and network
We provide information sessions and networking events targeting relevant topics and projects for business expansion in Northern Ontario.
We develop best practices for major First Nations development projects and non-First Nations businesses related to procurement policies and human resource polices focused on inclusion.
Members will be the first to know about special discounts on all events and access to new programs for doing business in Northern Ontario
Members will have better access to economic buyers and key decision makers in Northern Ontario through our business directory and special events and conferences.
We try to keep an ear to the ground, but Indigenous enterprise is a thriving, growing economy, and there’s always new voices to hear and new faces to see.
If there is something or someone you would want to see in a seminar, workshop, or networking event, we invite you to get in touch. Feel welcome to pitch us a topic, nominate a speaker, or simply tell us what’s important to you. Let us know…
Would you like to see your name and logo featured for our Anishnawbe Business Professionals community? Sponsor our newsletter. Your name, logo, description of services and contact information will be distributed to our membership and all our social media channels. If your Business or Organization would like to sponsor a future Newsletter, reach out to us at info@anishnawbebusiness.com.
Ch-Miigwetch for your support for Indigenous Business!