~ A Wakenagun Community Futures Development Corporation Publication ~ May 2012 ~ E-Edition Vol 1 In this issue Aboriginal Business Development Fund Aspinemowin Youth Entrepreneurship Partnership Program Loan Programs ~ We can help! What we do at Wakenagun Photo: Mike Larsen
In this issue Page 3 ~ Page 4 ~ Page 5 ~ Page 6 ~ Page 7 ~ Page 8 ~ Greetings from the Staff Aboriginal Business Development Fund Loan Programs Aspinemowin Youth Entrepreneurship Project What does Wakenagun do? Contact Us All information and articles at time of print and distribution are property of Wakenagun CFDC Photo Credits: Mike Larsen & Staff members Design & Layout: Stan Kapashesit For advertising opportunities, story suggestions or comments please contact us at (705)658-4428 or info@wakenagun.ca Follow us on For a Printed Copy ~ Please contact us and we can send you one! P.O. Box 308, 28 Amisk St Moose Factory, Ontario P0L 1W0 PHONE: 705.658.4428 OR TOLL-FREE @ 800.989.4850 www.wakenagun.ca Wakenagun CFDC is a federally incorporated not-for-profit corporation. Established in 1995, its services include small business financing and community economic development with a focus on strategic planning. Chairperson: William Cachagee ~ Vice-Chair: Brent Edwards ~ Treasurer: Sandra Linklater ~ Secretary Mike Okimaw ~ Chapleau Cree First Nation Fort Albany First Nation Town of Moosonee Attawapiskat First Nation Page 2 I GNI TE ~ BUI LDI NG ON OU R R ES OU R CES ~ M A Y 201 2
Stan Kapashesit, Executive Director ~ Greetings from the staff of Wakenagun CFDC ~ Hi Everyone, Once again we welcome you to our newsletter for the May Edition for 2012. There have been a lot of activity the past few months at our organization and we are glad to be providing more information to our communities through our workshops and upcoming visits. We welcome new staff members to our organization - Ms. Margaret Keesic, our new Finance Administrator Mr. Gilbert Cheechoo Jr, Investment Officer, both of which bring a wealth of experience and will surely compliment our programs and services. There have been many recent announcements and developments in our region, and we now welcome business loan applications that require larger financing amounts in upwards to $500,000. As well, we are pleased to be extending our ABDF program for an additional year - this partnership with BDC provides a valuable tool in training and we encourage Youth to apply to this opportunity! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions and wish you a safe and enjoyable spring season! Take care Greetings, My name is Margaret Keesic, I was born and raised in Moose Factory. I began working with Wakenagun as an Investment Officer May 2011. On November 2011 I began my new role as the Finance and Office Administrator. During my role as the Investment Officer, I travelled to nine of the ten communities within our area and got to meet and work with our youth delivering the AYEPP Program. The response to the AYEPP Program was very gratifying. During this time I had to opportunity to meet with a majority of our clients. Take care Margaret Keesic, Finance Administrator Wacheya, Greetings My name is Gilbert Gitchie Cheechoo Jr. I am a proud member of Moose Cree First Nation and I m extremely grateful to Wakenagun Community Futures Development Corporation to serve as Investment Officer. It is an honour to be a part of Wakenagun CFDC s commitment to providing opportunities through our financial products and services to empower community businesses and support thriving economies in the Mushkegowuk region. I am happy to share in the success that has brought economic prosperity and hope to the region through our continued support of community and First Nation businesses and economic development projects. I invite you to visit our office in Moose Factory, our website and Facebook page to stay informed and up to date on our activities and service offerings. I wish you all a pleasant and enjoyable spring hunting season as well as safe travels to and from your camps. Respectfully ~ Gilbert Gitchie Cheechoo Jr. Gilbert Gitchie Cheechoo Jr., Investment Officer Wachay! Welcome to our spring 2012 Newsletter, My name is Greta Moses; I am the Youth Entrepreneurship Partnership Program Assistant at Wakenagun, I have been the AYEPP Assistant since November 2011. Our program consists of facilitating business/entrepreneurial workshops for youth which are held in each Mushkegowuk Community (Fort Severn, Peawanuck, Attawapiskat, Kashechewan, Fort Albany, Taykwa Tagamou, Chapleau, Missanabie, Moosonee and Moose Factory) We will be visiting Attawapiskat mid-late May to finish off our AYEPP programming. Should you have any questions regarding our workshops feel free to contact our office at 705-658-4428 or email at info@wakenagun.ca. Meegwetch Greta Moses, Aspinemowin (AYEPP) Assistant M AY 20 1 2 Page 3
Aboriginal Business Development Fund Building Aboriginal Business Excellence The Aboriginal Business Development Fund Program is designed to assist interested individuals in training and business plan development. A partnership with the Business Development Bank of Canada ~ Aboriginal Banking Unit, we are here to provide you with the skills, knowledge and planning necessary for business start up. Up to $20,000 is available to successful participants to utilize to building your dreams. The past few years you may have noticed that we posted for the ABDF online training opportunity. This is to assist interested people in exploring and broadening their business acumen with the online Self Employment Benefit program offered by our affiliate site with the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations (OACFDC). To Learn Online is a web based learning site that can assist individuals in professional development and business practice. With our program, we emphasized that to actively participate and be successful in the training, one must have the time to commit to a 60 hour online training session, as well have the desire to complete a business plan. Once the successful students complete both components, they will be eligible to access $20,000 through the ABDF program to apply the funds towards start-up and accessing other financing. Ideas from Online Craft Shops, to Advertising, to Bed and Breakfast s ~ we will surely see some new business ventures open within our region. If you have an idea and don't know where to start - contact us! For more information, please feel free to contact our office. As well, if you are interested in taking the program at a future date, please be sure to contact Gitchie as enrollment is on-going. Page 4 I GNI TE ~ BUI LDI NG ON OU R R ES OU R CES ~ M A Y 201 2
Our core service is providing business loans for start-up, expansion or equity participation. Our Investment Fund program can provide any business up to $150,000 into business loans for your company or organization. The following are additional programs that fall under the Investment Fund strategy and each is targeted to identified target markets and feel free to contact us if you have any questions: Business Enhancements is a product designed with the existing business owner in mind that requires a business loan for Short term financing. The loan can be up to $50,000 and is flexible in repayment terms and competitive in interest rates. This product is application based and turn around is within a short period of time. A Helping Hand is a product designed with the entrepreneur in mind that needs a loan less than $10,000. The loan can be for an idea that requires a low start up fund. This can include ideas such as: Water Taxi Service ~ purchase of canoes, motors etc - Artisan Loans ~ assistance with materials - Crafts Person ~ assistance with items such as Hides, Beads, and Thread - Seasonal Businesses - i.e. Hot-Dog Carts, Snowmobile rentals, etc - Free Lance Contractors ~ i.e. Film, Music or production events Women in Business is a product designed with the woman in mind that requires a business loan. The loan can be for up to our maximum amount and is flexible in repayment terms and competitive in interest rates. Youth in Business is a product designed with the youth (ages 18-35 years) in mind that requires a business loan. The loan can be for up $20,000 and is flexible in repayment terms and competitive in interest rates. Post Secondary /or Summer Student Businesses also accepted! We are also pleased to announce that we have partnered with sister CFDC s in offering the North-Eastern Ontario Investment Pool ~ which allows applicants to apply for upwards of $500,000! Contact us today for more info! M AY 20 1 2 Page 5
Aspinemowin is a Cree word for Hope The Aspinemowin Youth Entrepreneurship Partnership Program is built on this one word. For the many youth that are from the Omushkegowuk Cree region nestled on the shores of the Hudson & James Bay, the word hope has a deeper meaning. Instilling optimism, and building upon the foundation of hope is a keystone to the youth of this generation. This program will allow participants the chance to make a change in their economic situation, take control of their own destiny and positively take the step to a brighter future! AYEPP will be a leader in promoting entrepreneurship to the youth in Northern Ontario and will set a foundation to build our future business leaders on! To date we have delivered our program and message to 165 Youth in the region, and with 1 more community remaining in workshop delivery we feel we would have reached 200 participants. In June we have partnered with the John R Delaney Youth Centre to deliver a 2 day Youth Conference. One day will be dedicated to Youth in Business - stay tuned for more info as we plan on releasing this within the next few weeks! ~ Aspinemowin ~ Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships Program With Project Funding provided by Ministry of Economic Development & Trade FedNor Mushkegowuk Council ~ Employment & Training Services Amiskodim Corporation Detour Gold Ontario Power Generation DeBeers Victor Project Wakenagun CFDC Community Visits Town of Moosonee ~ May 9, 2012 Missanabie Cree First Nation (Sault Office) ~ May 30, 2012 Attawapiskat First Nation ~ May 22, 2012 Dates are subject to change without notice ~ contact our office to make an appointment Page 6 I GNI TE ~ BUI LDI NG ON OU R R ES OU R CES ~ M A Y 201 2
What does Wakenagun CFDC do? Many times in our travels and networking throughout our service area and in other communities, we are often asked What is Wakenagun or what does your organization do?. To provide a simple answer is we help with Economic Development. Be it supporting a business owner ~ Aboriginal and non-aboriginal ~ with a loan for their Corner Store, Gas Bar, or Bed & Breakfast ; or financially supporting community events such as the annual CreeFest, Mushkegowuk Challenge Cup, or Moose Cree First Nation s Gathering of our People through our Local Initiatives Fund. Our office is dedicated to economic growth and supporting activities around that to help foster economic sustainability. Here is a snap shot of what types of services and programs we provide: ~ Business Loans: Funded through our Investment Fund (FedNor) * up to $500,000 and through our Aboriginal Business Development Fund (Business Development Bank of Canada) up to $20,000, we support business growth by lending to many businesses in our region. To date we have approved over 4.2 Million Dollars in loans, supporting over 90 businesses and impacting over 300 jobs. ~ Local Initiatives Fund: Funded through FedNor, this grant program for up to $5,000 per project is for Non-Profit Corporations, First Nations or Communities, in which conduct activities that support the region or community in which they operate from. Since providing this program, we have provided over $320,000 into various projects in our service area that include various feasibility studies, tourism related events and items that increase Economic stimulation in the area. ~ Business Advisory Services To add to our programs, we also provide services such as training, workshops such as our annual Aspinemowin Youth Entrepreneurship program, and referral services to other resources such as Financial and advisory. With our Aboriginal Business Development Fund program, we also provide online training to understand the principles of Business Planning and business plan development. Now that you have an idea of what we can provide, and have been sitting on a business idea but don't know where to start, why not give us a call? We serve young and old, male or female, and any ethnicity that resides in our communities in which we serve. Contact us today - We are here to help! M AY 20 1 2 Page 7
Do you have goals for business ownership? We can provide business financing from $100 to $500,000 to start, grow or maintain your business! Do you often dream of being paid for your ambitions? We can assist you from application to business planning, to opening your doors to your future! Do you want the freedom to build upon YOUR success? Can do it! We Can Help! Contact us today! www.wakenagun.ca 1~800~989~4850 (705)658~4428 info@wakenagun.ca Find us on Facebook