Chambers delivering final pandemic recovery supports

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This article was published 03/08/2023 (1141 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Manitoba Chambers of Commerce is handing out its last funds from the province’s $50-million pandemic long-term recovery fund.

On Thursday, the chamber network announced just under $400,000 of the $50-million fund will go to four Manitoba groups.

The bulk — $225,000 — is allotted to the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce to design an Indigenous business directory.

The province doesn’t have a recognized comprehensive list of Indigenous businesses, according to the Manitoba Chambers.

“I think this is long overdue,” said Michelle Cameron, the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce’s vice-chair. “There needs to be a directory so that it showcases true, authentic Indigenous businesses.”

She didn’t provide a timeline for when the directory would be complete by print deadline. However, once finished, the tool will show what percentage of each business is Indigenous owned, Cameron said.

“There’s a lot of opportunities for true Indigenous businesses to partake in procurement,” she noted, adding sometimes businesses with a sliver of Indigenous ownership are awarded projects to meet Indigenous business contract targets.

“I think (the funding for the directory) is a great step in moving forward,” Cameron said.

Governments and organizations aren’t able to quickly gauge the size and composition of Manitoba’s Indigenous business community; the directory is a solution, a news release from the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce implies.

The Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba received $75,000 from the fund to develop two reports on women’s entrepreneurship in Manitoba. One, with a delivery time of next September, will focus on the state of women’s entrepreneurship.

The second will assess the entity’s impact.

“We’re very pleased (with the funding),” said Maxine Kashton, CEO of the Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba. “We want to make sure we’re on target.”

The organization is working with the Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub on the reports’ creation.

Findings should help WECM assist upcoming female entrepreneurs, Kashton said.

The Tourism Association of Manitoba got $75,000 to develop a conference addressing labour shortages in the sector, promoting Indigenous tourism and empowering women in the industry.

Finally, $20,000 of the fund is assigned to the Grow Brandon steering committee, headed by the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, for an economic development plan.

“The pandemic shed light on several knowledge gaps in the business community,” Manitoba Chambers of Commerce spokeswoman Tammy Sawatzky wrote in an email.

The chamber network was tasked with assisting business development and increasing overall competitiveness, Sawatzky continued. The projects were approved by government.

Also on Thursday, the federal government announced more than $1 million for tourism attractions promoting francophone and Métis culture.

The Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities received $500,000 for a “destination development initiative” increasing visits to francophone and Métis attractions; the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities drew just over $486,000 for a series of tourist attractions across St. Boniface; and the Provencher BIZ took $23,500 for outdoor art exhibits.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com