Indigenous entrepreneurs looking to grow their business and drive economic development in the North could benefit from a more than $3.7-million investment over five years by the federal government in EntrepreNorth.
In part, the money, which started to flow in March, is intended to help EntrepreNorth launch an online marketplace so Indigenous-made products can enter new markets beyond the territory.
Founding project director Benjamin Scott told press conference attendees the investment is a testament to the federal government’s work towards economic reconciliation and justice.
“We have always held a strong belief that Indigenous entrepreneurs can be catalysts of prosperity and drivers of social change within their own communities,” Scott said.
“We are building entrepreneurial capacity, activating the growth of new businesses and mobilizing a powerful ecosystem of individuals who are strengthening Indigenous economic development through northern innovation.”
Yukon MP Brendan Hanley officially made the announcement at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse on Nov. 1.
“This investment will assist in training and certifying new program facilitators and building a new business app,” Hanley said.
“Through this project, entrepreneurs will also launch an online marketplace for Indigenous goods and services.”
EntrepreNorth has headquarters in Whitehorse and Yellowknife, N.W.T., and has assisted self-identified Indigenous entrepreneurs across the North. It’s part of a national charity called MakeWay.
Hanley said projects like this boost access to “good-paying jobs” and build northern economies that benefit all northerners.
The money comes under the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency’s Inclusive Diversification and Economic Advancement in the North program. That program is meant to support “businesses and other public or private organizations with an emphasis on ensuring equitable access to funding to underrepresented groups such as Indigenous people, women and youth,” according to the government website.
At the announcement, Xina Cowan, EntrepreNorth’s co-director, noted a growing movement around supporting Indigenous businesspeople to overcome systemic barriers for greater economic inclusion.
The project is focused on early-stage entrepreneurs from across sectors, including tourism, food products, art, fashion and design, who are looking to grow and scale up, per Cowan.
Cowan explained how the money will be spent.
“Those resources are going towards building our team and then direct programming that we offer through the cohort program or ideation workshops, and eventually, as we launch our technology, our app platform, being able to sort of expand our reach and scale in small communities,” she said.
Cowan said the online marketplace is expected to launch in spring 2025.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
