Northern Energy Independence
Northern Energy Independence As Landmark Study Nears Completion, Hopes High for a Clean Homegrown Alternative to Diesel. Within 120 km of Inuvik and 85 km of Tuktoyaktuk lie three massive gas fields – Niglintgak, Taglu and Parsons Lake – capable of producing 6.1 trillion cubic feet of sweet natural gas. That’s enough to heat one […]
Power to the People
When James Blackman co-founded what would become the Primco Dene Group of Companies in 1999, his community was in dire straits. Blackman is from the Cold Lake First Nation, a Dene community of 2,500 whose reserve lands are near the town of Cold Lake, in northeastern Alberta. There was little private enterprise, few opportunities for […]
Is There Another Way?
Two images, considered together, illustrate the difficult spot that Northern communities are in when it comes to energy. The first: The constantly updating satellite photos showing less and less ice in the Arctic. A second image to consider: The diesel generator. It’s a staple of almost every single community scattered across the North, because it […]
Pipeline Work Windfall
A pipeline segment project near Fort Simpson, NWT, could temporarily boost the area’s economy, while potentially laying a foundation for future partnerships between Aboriginal communities and the oil and gas industry. Enbridge is repairing 2.5 km of the Norman Wells Pipeline, also known as Line 21, which transports crude oil from Norman Wells to Zama, […]
Enterprising Nunavummiut
Enterprising Nunavummiut Inspire Nunavut plans to prepare youth for school and work across the territory. Luke Takohikima Ayaligak’s dream business location is a carving shack, divided into two parts. One side of the building would be dedicated to carving. From the other, he would help people fix their mobile devices: assist them to set up […]
Budding New Business
Budding New Business A look at the new operators bringing cannabis to the consumer. On Nov. 7, last year, the Manitoba Government issued its Request for Proposals for Retail Cannabis Stores. As part of the province’s Indigenous Procurement Initiative, the RFP favoured respondents that included Indigenous business participation. Points were awarded to proponents who offered […]
Our Bedrock Industry
Our Bedrock Industry At $40.8B Annually, Mining Underpins Indigenous & Overall Canadian Economies There is no industry more vital to the Aboriginal economy – and some would argue to the overall Canadian economy on the whole – than mining. Recently released research from a number of sources is driving this point home and suggests the […]
Helicopter Transport Services
Helicopter Transport Services First Nations an integral part of success story Back in 1976 in North Bay, Ont., pilot and entrepreneur Luc Pilon founded a company called Nipissing Helicopters with a single helicopter. Judicious reinvestment and a series of strategic acquisitions, starting in Quebec to its most recent in Saskatchewan, grew the company into what […]
Poison Perfect
Poison Perfect South Slave Graphics Shop Evolves Over Time. As companies grow, services and products can expand well beyond their original roots. One such company is Hay River’s Poison Graphics, formerly known as Poison Painting, which has been in business since 1996 when it was founded by Metis entrepreneur turned politician, Wally Schumann. Beginning as an […]
Development on the Line
Development on the Line Northwestel Keeps Northerners Talking Across a Continent. Telecommunications and the Arctic are what Northwestel Inc. is all about. Their web site boldly claims that it is, “the first and only Northern-based company to provide telecommunications across the North.” With head offices in both Yellowknife and Whitehorse, a regional office in Iqaluit, […]
