Latest news with #IndigenousChamberofCommerceManitoba
Winnipeg Free Press
24-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Spotlight on entrepreneurship inspiration
On a given day, Darion Ducharme might present to remote First Nations students: how do you create a budget? How do loans work? Elsewhere, Rayel Smoke could be dropping off Indigenized lawn games she created, while Emilie McKinney markets clothes and accessories her company manufactured. The Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Manitoba chose the three young entrepreneurs to spotlight during its 'Launching Success for Leaders of Tomorrow' luncheon, set for Thursday in Winnipeg. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Darion Ducharme, founder of Teqare, and executive director Kendra Halabura at 201 Portage Ave. Ducharme will be a panelist at next week's Indigenous Chamber of Commerce luncheon. 'Our communities … we've been in survival mode for so long,' said Renee Greyeyes, chamber president. She's noticed a shift: many Indigenous youth are interested in entrepreneurship; First Nations councils are wanting community members to understand finances and how they can participate in Canada's economic system. The country's number of Indigenous entrepreneurs is expected to grow by 23 per cent over the next decade, a 2024 BDC report reads. The Indigenous population is the fastest growing within Canada. Still, the group is underrepresented in business ownership, the report notes. It's time for young Indigenous businesses to ink deals and inspire others, Greyeyes said. Aspiring entrepreneurs, banking institutions and non-Indigenous business owners are expected to attend Thursday's luncheon. Ducharme, Smoke and McKinney are slated to talk about their companies and experiences during a panel session. 'We want to inspire more and more entrepreneurs,' said Ducharme, 32. '(The) Indigenous people who follow their passions and think big — think bigger than maybe what their parents told them was possible.' He started Teqare in 2021. Previously, he'd managed cellphone stores for a decade; he wanted more time to help customers with issues they faced. A tipping point followed the 2019 death of his wife, due to cancer. 'When you're on your deathbed, you really ask yourself, 'Hey, did I walk my calling?'' Ducharme said. '(Her death) really set me on a path to … realize what really matters.' These last four years, Ducharme has grown a company delivering workshops on cybersecurity, scam prevention, financial literacy and city relocation skills. Groups book workshops that include presentations and workbooks. The company exploded last year after signing a deal with Manitoba First Nations SchoolNet, Ducharme said. This school year, Teqare staff have travelled to more than 60 First Nations in Manitoba and spoken in front of more than 5,000 students, Ducharme said. Financial literacy and city life skills — such as getting IDs and navigating public transit — are topics covered. Indigenous identity, culture and empowerment are woven into sessions. Ducharme said he feels Teqare is making a 'massive impact.' Rayel and Tannis Smoke, ages 31 and 41, respectively, launched Nina Waste Events last year. The sisters wanted to start their own business and began researching rentable wedding items. They found lawn games. '(We said), 'Hey, we can do something bigger with this,'' Rayel recalled. The Smokes built, sanded, painted, and lacquered their own lawn games with an Indigenous spin. The current favourite is Who Dis, a giant spin on classic board game Guess Who? The Smokes' games have landed in Winnipeg and First Nations like Sioux Valley, Bloodvein, Fisher River and Dakota Plains (their home community). They won the Manito Ahbee Pow Wow Pitch last weekend and will advance to a grand finale. Eventually, the sisters aim to add a digital photo booth, tents and cultural wedding décor to their rental options. 'I am just, every day, so excited,' Rayel Smoke said, adding she hopes her story will encourage luncheon attendees thinking about entrepreneurship. McKinney, founder of Anishinaabe Bimishimo Corp., will also be highlighted Thursday. The 23-year-old began by selling jingle cones (accessories used by some powwow dancers). She now ships to more than 100 stores. Her company manufactures bags and clothing. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. McKinney didn't respond to an interview request by print deadline; she'll talk about the impact of tariffs on her business during Thursday's panel, according to Greyeyes. 'Our young people … on stage are mentors for those that are going to come,' Greyeyes said. There's 'so much opportunity' for Indigenous people to run their own businesses, especially when it comes to supplying mining projects. Entrepreneurship — the draw of being your own boss, and not needing a university education — can get people involved in the economic system, Greyeyes added. The chamber is planning for 400 guests, though roughly 100 spots are still available. Seats cost $125 for members and $150 for non-members; tables are priced at $1,200. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
02-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba First Nations leaders say they want to hear more about reconciliation in federal election
Some First Nations leaders in Manitoba say they're disappointed reconciliation has taken a back seat so far in the federal election campaign. The issues of Canadian sovereignty, and which party will be most capable of handling U.S. President Donald Trump and the ongoing trade war, have overshadowed other issues that are important to Indigenous communities, says Renee Greyeyes, president and CEO of the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Manitoba. "At the federal level we haven't heard a whole lot … especially when it comes to Indigenous businesses or what supports are going to be there" during the campaign, now in its second week, she said in an interview. Brokenhead Ojibway Nation Chief Gordon Bluesky said he would like to see the prosperity of First Nations mentioned "in the same breath" as the rest of the country's, as parties make pledges to strengthen the economy amid U.S. pressure. "I'm still waiting for that large announcement, whether it be in our infrastructure, whether it be in … our economic gaps that we have," he told CBC. "We have all these communities with a lot of these low-hanging fruits and challenges … [which] I really believe that the federal government and the provincial government can really come together on, and to really start to build and create reconciliation." During a campaign stop in Winnipeg Tuesday, Liberal Leader Mark Carney responded to reporters' questions about his commitments to reconciliation by pointing to actions he took soon after becoming prime minister, including meeting with the leadership of Indigenous organizations and doubling an Indigenous loan guarantee program. "The process of reconciliation, which is fundamental to our country, fundamentally part of our being … must proceed," he said. "This is a long process, but we've taken those initial steps to move forward." Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Tuesday his government would establish an Indigenous opportunities corporation, which would offer loan guarantees to Indigenous communities as part of a series of commitments the party says will speed up energy projects and end the sector's dependence on the U.S. market. "We want to give control to First Nations so that they can make these investments," Poilievre said. A spokesperson from the federal NDP said in an email the party remains committed to working alongside Indigenous communities as they "empower, uplift and demand justice for their peoples." Meanwhile, the Assembly of First Nations is calling on all federal parties to commit to upholding rights and advancing nation-to-nation relationships if they form government. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in a news release Tuesday that more than $50 billion worth of projects are set to launch on traditional lands over the next decade. "The potential benefit of these projects is in the trillions of dollars," she said. "They represent a cornerstone of Canada's future economic growth, but they won't advance without First Nations support." Reconciliation at core of resource development: chief Derek Nepinak, chief of Minegoziibe Anishinabe — a western Manitoba First Nation formerly known as Pine Creek — said that while reconciliation isn't front and centre in the campaign leading up to the April 28 election, it's at the core of debates surrounding issues like resource development. "If anyone's going to be developing … Canada's rich mineral wealth, they're going to have to go through Indigenous leadership," Nepinak said in an interview. "That means negotiation, consultation, accommodations and reconciliation being at the heart of those conversations." Nepinak said he believes that may indicate a shift in how reconciliation is talked about going into the future. "It doesn't diminish or take away from the importance of reconciliation by … not having it embedded in a platform," he said. Brokenhead Ojibway Nation's Bluesky said some Indigenous people may have historically opposed voting because of Canada's colonial roots, but more are starting to believe their voices do matter, he said. "We can really start to make real changes … if we were to work together," said Bluesky. WATCH | First Nations leaders want more focus on Indigenous issues in campaign: First Nations leaders hope for more focus on reconciliation in federal election 11 hours ago Duration 2:05 Some First Nations leaders in Manitoba say amid all the talk of U.S. President Donald Trump and tariffs, Canada's relationship with Indigenous people has taken a back seat during the federal election campaign.
