The federal government is looking for growth when it comes to First Nations business in the Ring of Fire.
Greg Rickford, the federal minister responsible for FedNor and the Ring of Fire, on Wednesday announced $4.4 million over three years to the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund. The fund will use the money to help First Nations' businesses with everything from marketing to business plans.
"We want to put businesses in positon where they can create jobs for local people so that we take up the lion's share (of the Ring of Fire job creation)," Rickford said. "This is not giving money away. This is creating opportunities where results can be measurable over the course of time."
While the funding isn't contingent on results, NADF executive director Brian Davies said over the next three years the organization does have a lot of targets it would like to meet. Workshops, training seminars and conferences that will be made possible through the funding would like to draw at least 1,000 youth from Nishnawbe Aski Nation communities. Davies said he'd like to see at least 500 business plans generated over the next three years as well.
"When we get involved we get involved for a purpose," Davies said.
The funding will also help new businesses network to create partnerships and hear from other business leaders how they became successful. Bringing that type of expertise to remote communities can be a challenge.
"We can now be in a position to offer some of that advice," Davies said.
