Development fund supports Metis business

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If you're a Metis person with a great business idea and a few dollars to back up your dream, the Clarence Campeau Development Fund wants to hear from you.

The development fund, named after the late Clarence Campeau, a Metis political leader who promoted economic development as a means of realizing Metis self-sufficiency, works to carry on the work of its namesake.

"We can fund just about everything," said Roland Duplessis, fund manager with the development fund. "We do new businesses, acquisitions, renovations, expansions, of just about every kind of business that you can think of. We've done everything from specialized agriculture, like wild boar operations and bison operations and agricultural things like cattle, mixed farming operations.

We've done some forgivable projects like a homeless project in Saskatoon. We've done involvement, we've taken share interests in motels, so we've done hospitality industry, service related business, retail operations ... anything related to business development."

What the fund isn't is a financial institution, Duplessis explained.

"We don't do term loans. What we do is equity components or equity participation. Various forms of equity, everything from preferred shares, common shares, limited partnerships. We do some repayable contributions, but they're done interest-free, and we don't take hard asset security. So we come in as an equity player to help people leverage up long-term financing to their projects."

But the fund does more than that-it can help take a new business through all the phases of development, from start up to maintaining operations in the long-term.

"We provide business plan support. We can provide up to $10,000 or 75 per cent of the cost of a business plan, whichever is the least. So we can actually help in the research and development component into the business plan, leading up to the project," Duplessis said.

"We can then get involved as an equity player in the project. We can provide some management skills and marketing skills training ... and we can also provide an aftercare component with up to $10,000 over two years to make sure that business people get professional guidance for their operation to make sure they're on track as far as their profitability."

The idea of setting up the development fund came up in 1996, when the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan and the provincial government were trying to figure out how the Metis could get a share of provincial gaming revenues, Duplessis said. They decided the best way would be to create a fund to support Metis economic development, and the Clarence Campeau Development Fund was born. The two parties signed an agreement to that effect in July 1997, and a year later the fund was up and running.

With help from the development fund, you don't have to have a lot of business experience or financial backing to get your own business up and running, Duplessis explained.

"You have to come with a good idea. You have to come with at least five per cent of your own money. Based on the capital asset component, we expect five per cent equity from the client. But if you come to the table and you've got a little bit of money, you've got a really good idea, a good concept, we can match you up with some people that will work with you to get you to the point where the project is well researched, the business plan is available. And even our business planners that we've used go so far as to help people fill out application forms, and then advocate on their behalf with the various agencies to ensure that the financial arrangements are satisfactory."

The services the development fund provides to its Metis clients makes it a unique organization, not just in Saskatchewan, but right across the country, Duplessis said.

"There's all kinds of people out there that'll do loans. What there isn't, there's just not a group that's able, right across this country, of doing the equity component to help people leverage up debt ... obody's doing what we're doing. And the other provinces are crying out for it. They're saying this is what we need. So we've got a good thing happening here in our province, and I think the government has recognized that. They've been very, very good to us. We're under the provincial auditor act, we have a provincial audit every year. And we've been found to be very, very successful. And we want to continue that, to have the reputation."

The development fund welcomes calls from Metis people who have a good business idea or from owners of existing business who need help to expand. The number is 1-888-657-4870.

"They can just phone the office," Duplessis said, "and we'll put them through to some people here that are going to take them to the next level."