CCAB studies Aboriginal economic development corporations

The latest Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business research report, Community & Commerce Ontario, finds that community-owned corporations are a growing trend within Aboriginal economic development, increasingly creating wealth for both their communities and their non-Aboriginal neighbours. The strengths of AEDCs, which are community-owned businesses set up as corporations at arm’s length from chief and council, are their ability to adapt to community needs. They get First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to articulate their economic goals, as well as sending a clear signal to business Canada that an Aboriginal community is open to development that reflects their values and needs. Aboriginal community members are generally the shareholders and ultimate beneficiaries of the AEDCs success. The report confirms the importance of sustainability recognizing the three pillars: the land, the people and the economy.