Six Nations opens state-of-the-art industrial park

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Six Nations Economic Development was one of four economic developers chosen for CANDO's annual Economic Developer Recognition Award. The organization is a department of the Six Nations Council and has its offices on the Six Nations reserve near Brantford, in southern Ontario.

Six Nations territory is spread over 45,000 acres, or approximately 10 square miles. More than 19,000 people hold band membership, and 9,600 live on reserve, the hub of which is the village of Ohsweken. Economic initiatives undertaken in the community, therefore, have the power to affect many lives.

Six Nations Economic Development has been in operation for approximately seven years. Its vision is "to promote and enhance the community's desire for further development of the new economy through business development activity," and its purpose is to establish "programs, objectives, goals, outcomes and results that reflect the progress, structure and character of the community."

The organization strives to be up-to-date, even on the cutting edge, as it develops economic opportunities, but that does not mean traditional development activities are deserted.

Among the many challenging projects developed for the benefit of the Six Nations and surrounding area, two were pinpointed for special mention by CANDO when they announced the award.

The Oneida Enterprise Park is being developed as an industrial park within Six Nations of the Grand River territory. This initiative takes advantage of the fact that the community is in an ideal industrial location, close to Toronto and U.S. markets.

Because the park is being established on the reserve, it can offer tax exemption advantages. Non-Aboriginal businesses are welcome to build partnerships with members of the community in order to take advantage of these tax benefits.

Oneida Enterprise Park is unusual in a number of ways, first in the way it is being developed. As Jean Martin, projects officer for the Six Nations development company says, "It is designed with the contours of Mother Earth in mind."Unlike most industrial developments, where land is clear-cut and flattened out, this one will attempt to conform to the shape of the land, rather than the other way around.

Available lots vary in size and elevation and, according to the plan, the 125 acres of Oneida Enterprise Park will earn the name of "park," as there will be a minimum of intrusion into the natural landscape. The development, which is near completion, will prove that industry and nature can exist side by side, without spoiling the beauty and usefulness of the original area.

To maintain these healthy surroundings, there will be limitations on the kind of businesses operating in the park. Six Nations Economic Development is advertising for "clean, environmentally friendly manufacturing, warehousing businesses and light industries."

Another special feature is that the project already benefits the Six Nations community economically, as 81 per cent of park development is being contracted out to community members When it is completed, it will be managed by Six Nations Economic Development on the reserve, where an administration is already in place.

The park has hookups for electricity, water, heat and a fibre-optics cable with telephone and networking capabilities.

Oneida Enterprise Park's healthy natural setting and its tax status should make it a particularly attractive location for companies looking to relocate.

Going hand in hand with the industrial park is the other project singled out by CANDO. Grand River Mills, which is the industrial park's first tenant, will spin cotton into yarn for a wide range of uses. The 1,040 square foot Grand River Mills factory is about 70 per cent complete, and production is expected to start in March of 2000. The driving force behind this initiative was Samuel Hill, the economic development officer who dedicated two years of hard work to the project.

The mill creates the potential for additional businesses such s trucking, catering, cleaners, factories for paper cones and felt, and companies that sell other byproducts of cotton processing.

Approximately 80 people will be employed in the plant, and spin-off businesses are likely to create 40 or more jobs in the community.

In deciding on the mill, the administration looked at a lot of issues. For one thing, no material like this is presently produced in Canada, says Chief Wellington Staats. Their process spins a very fine thread, so the fabric woven with it is used for designer clothing. What better place to be producing such material than near Toronto and the clothing centres of the U.S.? This central location obviously made it attractive to Six Nations partners in the project, who were already planning to build and just needed the right place.

Staats says that when looking at a possible project, the "first thing is to bring an industry that will create jobs and pick up the economy. For a project of this size, the $5 million in salaries and revenue gets generated, is turned over again and again, and picks up the whole community."

Six Nations Economic Development has still more irons in the fire. In 1997, for instance, Six Nations formed a partnership with the Gitxsan Nation to make a public company, which they identify as the "first Aboriginally founded and controlled public company in Canada." Its name is Tathacus Resources Ltd., and it is trading on the Alberta Stock Exchange to the benefit of both Nations and Tathacus Resources' shareholders.

Six Nations Economic Development looks at CANDO's Recognition Award as another significant achievement, and are investigating the possibility of being sponsored for the award another year. They have already hung their prize of Alan Syliboy's original art in the Six Nations Council administration building.