The third annual Anishinabek Nation Economic Development Opportunities (ANEDO) forum kicked off Wednesday at Casino Rama on Rama First Nation.
The forum provides a networking space for developing opportunities and partnerships with Indigenous communities.
“These gatherings matter,” said Marsha Smoke, Anishinabek Nation Southeast Regional Chief.
“The support is there for those working in communities on economic development issues. I really believe that it’s important to lift people up, and so they know that we’re proud of what they do and that they should be proud of their accomplishments as well,” she said.
Speakers discussed the challenges and struggles unique to First Nation communities.
Some of those challenges are believed to be rooted in a system that separates Indigenous businesses from others.
“It’s really based on a colonial system that’s not designed to benefit Indigenous people,” said Scott McLeod, Anishinabek Nation Lake Huron Regional Chief.
“Our businesses, whether they’re in communities or whether in cities and towns, or villages, they really feel that they sometimes are disconnected from the information that is shared within our communities, or in the mainstream,” said Smoke.
“Messages are not delivered directly to our business owners, and we also don’t hear them,” she told the other chiefs in the room.
She spoke to the theme of the forum; empower, evoke, evolve.
Empowering leaders and businesses through information sharing allows them to thrive, she noted. Bringing business owners together — who she pointed out rarely get the chance to convene together and share ideas — provides an opportunity to evolve.
Chris Plain, Anishinabek Nation Deputy Grand Council Chief, referenced some of the specific challenges unique to First Nation communities.
Differing ideologies is one of them. Processes are different with a system that does not recognize taxation. Direct community involvement when businesses and services are considered or developed is ingrained in First Nation communities, he explained.
Those differences cause disruption to processes that take place in banks, like when a business owner applies for a loan, he said.
“We had to designate like 40 acres of our land for 100 years, it still has Aboriginal title, but it’s also then called a conditional surrender. So people can then go to the bank and borrow money,” said Plain.
“It’s just a tool that subjects us even further... colonial type of tools to be able to just be involved in mainstream business.”
People who want to develop partnerships with Indigenous business owners often decide against it, he said, because the bank will not lend money unless there is a conditional surrender of the land.
The forum is meant to broaden understanding about similar processes. Developing new businesses in First Nation territories, or expanding existing ones, helps to bring valuable services to those communities.
“I think the biggest misconception out there is, still, that First Nations get everything for free, and it’s quite contrary to that,” said McLeod.
“We have to, essentially, put all of our personal stuff on the line if we want to get into business, because banks won’t touch us. Unless there are specific situations. But for the most part, these businesses are all grown right from peoples’ own pockets and hard work,” he said.
In his keynote address, Abram Benedict, Chiefs of Ontario Regional Chief, opened with comments about leadership. Benedict, whose role involves representing 133 First Nation communities across the region, said it is important for people to have high expectations of their leaders.
“It’s a job that I take quite seriously,” he said.
He spoke of the importance of supporting local businesses; accomplishments concerning the J Treaty and border policies, community engagement and government policies, and his own priorities that fall into all of these categories.
Sovereignty and jurisdiction, he said, are key to both economic development and social concerns.
He discussed the challenges faced with the different levels of government and the process of consultation.
“How do we advance together? Take advantage of the opportunities, but not sacrifice our community sovereignty,” he asked.
“In the world we live in today, there’s so much that has changed in such a quick period of time. There’s high importance on the economic problems and what that role is for our communities, what that role is for our leadership, what that role is for our nations across the region, not only this region but across Turtle Island,” he said.
When facing the busy world stage, a forum like the ANEDO encourages collaborative efforts to tackle economic obstacles, he noted.
“There are so many great things happening in our region,” Benedict said about Ontario.
He pointed out that not all communities work the same. What occurs in one region does not always work in another.
He said ministers often ask how to streamline the process of consultation. His response is that it is not possible.
Of the 133 Ontario First Nation communities, those in the north do things differently than in the south, he explained.
“To think that their federal approach can be for consultation is not possible. So this scares them. They want certainty,” he said.
A major issue happening across First Nation communities is a barrage of requests to consult on many issues. From constructing new buildings to bridges and land transfers, economic development is at the forefront of these requests.
At the same time, he noted, community leaders are concerned about housing, jobs, and social issues.
“Buried under several other emails and crises in the community, a lost opportunity may be had,” he pointed out.
First Nation consultation was an important topic as it pertains to federal Bill C-5, One Canadian Economy Act, and the provincial Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025.
“With Bill 5 now, which is fast tracking a lot of the issues, not just access to the resources, but it’s creating a lot more pressure on issues that we currently have been facing with duty to consult,” said McLeod.
He then flipped to using a more connotative term.
“It’s about obtaining consent,” he said.
Benedict recognized that the companies pushing for economic development often seek the fastest and cheapest route.
“It’s not always being done in the most environmentally sustainable, environmentally friendly way,” he said.
“There are more innovative ways, more friendly ways, and so part of building the partnerships and opportunities is to ensure that our approaches, that are sustainable to our communities, are environmentally friendly, but also embracing our customs and teachings," Benedict explained.
“Innovation. Sometimes it costs more, but it falls in line with our priorities, falls in line with how our philosophies are, because our philosophies are not always the same as the explorers, extractors, and processors,” Benedict said.
He questioned the role of First Nations leaders when it comes to the conversation of renewable energy.
“The Ontario government is on an ambitious energy plan to meet the needs of Ontario and meet the needs of the international demands for the resources. Those resources are in our territory," he explained.
"And again, my messaging to the government is that jurisdiction, sovereignty, belongs with the community leadership and includes the territorial lands, resources, and how that is developed, how that is extracted, or if it is extracted at all.”
In conclusion, Benedict stressed the need for respect, equity, and sustainability in economic development.
“Economic reconciliation is real. That needs to be determined by us, by our people. It’s not always about financial gains. It’s about honouring our rights, governments acknowledging our rights, our ceremonies, our teaching, the ability for self-determination," said Benedict.
“When we lead with our knowledge, our rights and our vision, we build economies rooted in strength, self-determination, and prosperity for generations to come.”
More discussions and presentations are taking place at the Casino Rama forum today, with the event wrapping up on Oct. 17. Visit https://anedo.ca/ for more information.