Hundreds of delegates packed the convention centre at Chances last week for Prince Rupert’s first ever Aboriginal Business Opportunities Conference.
Delegates included politicians, First Nations representatives and, possibly the most important of all, private sector businesses with opportunities, ideas and jobs to offer to First Nations and their communities.
During the three-day conference many businesses like BC Hydro, JJM Construction, and Genivar had booths set up in the convention centre looking for customers, partners and new employees. One of the main focuses of the conference was to let First Nations and the businesses network with one another during the dinners and workshops at the event.
During the first two days of the conference delegates were able to attended different workshops where representatives from different industries would present to them opportunities for First Nations involvement in that industry or offer a service or a product that could be beneficial to Aboriginal businesses or communities.
In one workshop industry representatives talked about the possibility of using biomass generators to create heat and electricity for remote communities, which are currently dependent on diesel generators. Biomass generators would, according to the reps, allow these communities to use things like logging waste to create heat and even electricity while giving off a very small amount emissions. This appeared to peak the interest of delegates from Masset, and mayor Barry Pages was seen gathering more material on the generators after the workshop ended.
In another workshop, representatives from the Aboriginal Tourism Association of BC talked to delegates about creating “authentic” cultural tourism attractions in their communities by infusing attractions like fishing and hiking with their traditional culture. They also stressed that communities need to remember their heritage and traditions, but that they also needed to live and do business in the 21st century.
In a forestry workshop, an in-depth discussion began about opportunities for First Nations in the emerging market for carbon credits. With the recent passing of the BC Carbon Offset Protocol, industry representatives said that First Nations could start selling carbon credits in a cap and trade system that could be put in place next January. First Nations could start projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere, such as planting more trees, and then sell the credits those projects create to companies who need to buy them to offset their own emissions.
The Lax Kw’alaams and Metlakatla were the official hosts of this conference, and Lax Kw’alaams chief, Garry Reece, says that he feels that the event was worth the effort to get it to come to the City.
“I think this was a big success for the City of Prince Rupert and for the Coast Tsimshian communities, and we’re quite happy with it,” says Reece.
Reece says the biggest highlights for him was the two agreements that he signed at the conference. One was for a new partnership with CN Rail on a new container-stuffing and lumber operation, and the other was with Island Tug and Barge for marine services, which Reece says “will be huge for the whole Prince Rupert area.”
These two agreements were not direct results of the conference though. It remains to be seen what new partnerships will be formed during the conference.