By Nick Pearce, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter SASKATCHEWAN-Sean Willy, CEO of Des Nedhe Development, took a pay cut this year. As English River First Nation’s economic development corporation, Des Nedhe operates businesses and essential services in northern communities that were vulnerable to the pandemic. When it hit, Willy and the ...

By Sarah Williscraft Local Journalism Initiative Reporter FORT MCMURRAY-As Alberta projects a $24.2 billion deficit for the fiscal year, the Fort McKay Metis Nation found itself prepared. The current crisis fuelled by COVID-19 and last spring’s Saudi-Russian price war was a serious blow to the community, said McKay Metis President ...

Construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline is underway in Kamloops, B.C., Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward CALGARY- A panel of Indigenous business leaders says limited and slow access to capital is a major barrier to their First Nations’ ability to take an ownership role in the ...

In this photo provided by the United Nations, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks in a pre-recorded message played during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, at U.N. headquarters in New York. The U.N.’s first virtual meeting of world leaders started Tuesday with ...

By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Four panelists at a presentation held on Wednesday during the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) online Business Recovery Forum said the federal government’s procurement strategy is not only failing Indigenous entrepreneurs, it’s wasting their precious time and resources. It’s no secret that ...

By Andrew Autio Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THE DAILY PRESS The next step for the reconciliation of First Nations people is business ownership, including mines, according to Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald of the Taykwa Tagamou Nation near Cochrane. At Wednesday’s 71st-annual general meeting of the Timmins Chamber of Commerce, ...

By Anita Balakrishnan OTTAWA- About $1 billion worth of mortgage payments were deferred each month during the pandemic, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said on Thursday. The calculation, released in CMHC’s annual residential mortgage industry report, is based on Equifax Canada’s estimate that the average monthly mortgage payment in Canada ...

By Martin Crutsinger THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON- The latest Federal Reserve survey of U.S. economic activity found generally modest gains in August but also pessimism about the future given the threats posed by the coronavirus. The Fed report made public Wednesday said that a theme echoed across the country is ...