Campbell River Band tops CANDO honor roll

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Trains, planes and automobiles. Throw in a boat and bus ride and you have CANDO's 5th annual national conference held in Vancouver from Nov. 25 to Nov. 28.

CANDO is the better known acronym for the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers. Representatives from Aboriginal economic development organizations across Canada gathered to share economic development news, ideas, problems and concerns during the four-day conference which culminated in a dinner featuring keynote speakers Frank Calder and Joe Gosnell from the Nisga'a territory. Delegates were also treated to a harbor cruise and a bus tour of the Squamish and Burrard nations' territories.

Also on the agenda was the announcement of the winners of this year's economic development recognition awards and the Economic Developer of the Year Award, chosen from the four recognition winners.

CANDO president, Angie Stewart, said the awards announcement was her favorite part of the conference as she presented the winners to conference delegates who were to vote for the developer of the year. Recognition award winners were the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies Call Center, the Khowutzun Development Corporation of Duncan, B.C., the Blood Tribe Irrigation Project of Stand Off, Alta. and the Campbell River Indian Band, located on Vancouver Island.

The call centre, owned by the Asimakaniseekan Askiy band, provides call out and information gathering services in Cree, Dene, and Saulteaux on a fee for service basis to public and private sector organization who are marketing products or services, gathering information or administering surveys.

The Khowutzun Development Corporation markets Cowichan sweaters over the internet, radio, in magazines and newspapers. The corporation has a joint venture to install gas lines in British Columbia and has developed a forest services company. It has created 85 jobs and also operates a destination tourist resort called the Cowichan Native Village

The Blood Tribe has developed a 25,000 acre state of the art irrigation system that is used domestically and marketed internationally. The project created 26 full- and part-time jobs and 50 sub-contracting opportunities. The irrigation project has created a hay densification project which exports internationally and will, when fully operational, create 75 jobs.

The winner of the Economic Developer of the Year Award was the Campbell River Indian Band. In a joint venture, the band has developed the Discovery Harbour Centre, a 360,000 sq. ft. shopping centre valued at about $60 million. In total the mall project has created between 800 and 1,000 jobs. The band also operated the Discovery Harbour Marina, which, when complete, will have 1,000 berths.

Conference delegates also attended information workshops and plenary sessions. Keynote speaker on the first full day of the conference was Inuit Taparisat of Canada president Okalik Eegeesiak. She said 1999 would be an exciting time for the north, not only because the new territory of Nunavut would be coming into existence, but because the Royal Bank would be holding its symposium on the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People sometime in April. She also shared information about some of the economic development initiatives in the works for the north, including a new contract with China for seal pelts worth $2 million annually.

But the highlight of the weekend for many of the delegates was the Calder-Gosnell address at the awards banquet. Nisga's member Frank Calder, known by many as a pioneer in the treaty-making process, made a fiery speech to delegates about the oppression of the Indian Act.

"You'll never get out of the system, because there is somebody on your back," said Calder. "I want to be a Canadian citizen, but I can't because there is somebody on my back." He said the settlement of the Nisga'a land question would get that somebody off his back.

Nisga'a Tribal Council president Joe Gosnell greed.

"I' going to take a great deal of pleasure when we are going to burn that Indian Act," he said, garnering heart-felt applause.