About 100 people gathered in Val-d’Or’s Hotel Forestel December 7, with another 100 joining online, to participate in the 18th edition of the Business Exchange Day, hosted by the Secretariat to the Cree Nation Abitibi-Témiscamingue Economic Alliance.
The Cree Nation has unveiled plans for an ambitious $100 million high-rise tower that will stand at one of the main entrances to downtown Montreal. Featuring a giant canoe shape at its most prominent corner, the 26-floor Odea Montreal building will accommodate a combination of condos, rentals and commercial space.
Indigenous leaders were cautiously optimistic that the Grand Economic Circle of Indigenous Peoples and Quebec was the starting point of a movement. The event November 25 and 26 brought about 250 Indigenous leaders, provincial elected officials and businesspeople together to discuss the full participation of Indigenous Peoples in Quebec’s economy.
During a council board meeting in Ouje-Bougoumou October 26-27, Mistissini and Waswanipi signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would see the two communities share forestry resources, including a forestry engineer, opening the way for broader discussions in the future.
Gestion ADC is celebrating 25 years of playing a vital role in the economic growth of Cree communities, continuing to build on its expertise in providing reliable food and maintenance services for remote northern work camps.
Eeyou Mobility is closer to launching their full commercial services across the Cree communities. The company announced it will be servicing Ouje-Bougoumou, Nemaska, Mistissini and Waswanipi, as well as Chapais and Chibougamau, by the end of the year, according to president Henry Gull.
This year, the Cree Construction and Development Company (CCDC) celebrates 45 years of ground-breaking success. From humble origins, clearcutting paths for power transmission lines and future reservoirs, the first completely Cree-owned enterprise has grown to become one of Quebec’s largest and most successful construction companies.
Since Ouje-Bougoumou was established as a permanent community in the 1990s – after being displaced by mining and forestry companies for decades – it has gained international fame for its architecture and community development initiatives.
As mining has continued to expand across the Cree territories, questions remain over the reclamation and remediation of ongoing and abandoned mining sites.
Indigenous communities and governments have made progress in addressing the housing and infrastructure deficit in Canada’s First Nations. The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships estimates the cost of this gap in essential services – like clean water and power, sewage treatment and broadband access – could be as high as $30 billion.
