World champion hoop dancer Dallas Arcand was part of the evening’s entertainment at the Oct. 22 “Building a Better Canada Through First Nations Economies” conference at the new Nk’Mip Conference Centre. More than 200 people from throughout North America attended the forum. Photo by Laurena Weninger - Click on picture for larger image
OSOYOOS TIMES-October 28, 2009
By Laurena Weninger – Osoyoos Times
It was standing room only in the Osoyoos Indian Band’s new Nk’Mip Conference Centre on Oct. 22, when more than 200 people met to take a closer look at economic development in First Nations communities.
“I’m not saying social programs aren’t important,” said Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) Chief Clarence Louie, emphasizing the role economic development plays in the overall health of any community.
“You can’t talk about your health without a job being mentioned. People with jobs, people who come from a working lifestyle are obviously healthier. You need something to get up for every morning,” he said to the crowd that included native and non-native dignitaries, elected officials and government representatives.
“One of the bases of education is employment,” Louie said, further explaining how economic development leads to a healthy community. “We can’t tell our youths to go off and get educated if all we can offer them is band office jobs.”
Other speakers at the conference included Dr. Stephen Cornell, founder of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, David Hallman, director general of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Tewanee Joseph, executive director of the Four Host Nations, who was to talk about business opportunities and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Shawn Atleo, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
“Chief, I agree with you. Even conversations around health have to include economic development,” said Atleo. “We can have it all.”
Woven through the speakers was a common message of self-sufficiency and an acknowledgement that even though issues like treaties are important, development has to continue while those issues are being sorted out.
“We are on the cusp of realizing our potential as First Nations people,” Atleo said.
Cornell offered some examples.
His presentation included a slide show of First Nations communities he has studied, including some incredible success stories.
He said the solutions to fostering strong economic development have come from within the communities themselves.
“Most of what we think we know, we learned from you,” Cornell said, about the successful ideas. “They came from First Nations that are addressing problems that other governments have found intractable for years… Osoyoos is at the front edge of this.”
He spoke of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in Oklahoma, which, in 1971, had nothing but a small trailer as their band office on very little land.
Now they are running a grocery store, casino, golf course and a bank.
Examples abound of First Nations tribes turning issues at hand into economic development opportunities, and Cornell said leaders have told him it’s how they see their future.
“Economic development is my freedom program,” one U.S. tribal leader told him. “This is how I escape the dependency on their (the government) dollar. Every dollar I get is a leash around my neck.”
The forum was the first event held at the Nk’Mip Conference Centre and a grand-opening celebration was part of the occasion.
According to a press release from the OIB, the centre is the largest full-service conference centre in the South Okanagan, with 836 square metres of meeting, exhibition and ballroom space for events up to 350 people.
Meetings and events at the centre are expected to generate an additional $2.4 to $3 million per year of economic activity for the Osoyoos area, states the release.
It completes Phase 2 of the Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort and Spa.
At the conference, Louie announced the next step of the development – a partnership with Bellstar Hotels and Resorts to start building the Spirit Ridge Residence Club in early 2010.
This is a $35 million, 45-unit luxury resort development expansion, with an exclusive clubhouse.
Those who own the units will be part of a program called Preferred Residences, meaning they can exchange the use of their Osoyoos residence with other similar units around the world.
A sales and marketing campaign will begin in early 2010.
The conference carried over to Oct. 23, when the Regional Planning Management Advisory Committee (RPMAC) met for sessions touching on land management, structuring community economic development, and strategic plans.
RPMAC reviews strategic direction and program implementation and makes recommendations to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
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