Ontario launches programs to support Indigenous economic development
The provincial government has announced applications are open for programs that support economic development for Indigenous people, organizations and communities.
The Indigenous Economic Development Fund and the Indigenous Community Capital Grants Program combined have more than $9 million available.
“We’re garnering a lot of support from Indigenous businesses to be involved in supply chains, in mining, in forestry, in electric vehicle battery storage, the energy sectors more broadly as we see here in Timmins," said Greg Rickford, Ontario's minister of Indigenous Affairs.
“And so we don’t think that any of this can happen without them, frankly.”
Timmins councillor Cory Robin said the population segment that has the most growth in the city is the Indigenous population and jobs are needed.
The way to increase them, Robin said, is to expand the Indigenous economic footprint.
He said he has seen these funding streams used in a variety of ways in the past.
“I’ve seen it used to purchase other companies, I’ve seen it used to expand a trucking fleet for example or to buy new heads for your forestry equipment,” Robin said.
“I’ve seen it used to establish offices and, you know, promote services and things like that. Even a tech firm could use it.”
Robin added there are more Indigenous companies today than there were 10 years ago.
Applications for the two funding sources are open until early March.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.