Indigenous groups meet in Saskatoon for world business forum

Indigenous people from around the world have gathered in Saskatoon this week to connect, share and inspire one another.

An international business forum kicked off Tuesday to engage indigenous people in global economic discussion.

Milton Tootoosis, chair of the Saskatchewan First Nations Economic Development Network, said hosting the event is an exciting prospect for the province.

“We’re only a million people, but we have a diverse economy, and (we’re) fairly stable compared to our neighbours to the west, and other parts of the country,” Tootoosis said.

Tootoosis hopes to address some of hurdles for indigenous people who want to develop a business.

“One of the key challenges is the lack of information and know-how in terms of what industries to get into,” said Milton Tootoosis, chair of the Saskatchewan First Nations Economic Development Network.

Tootoosis noted another challenge is having access to the financial capital needed for a start-up.

The forum includes presentations from business leaders across Canada.

On Thursday, there will be a panel discussion entitled, Rebuilding Nations with New Tools.

That will be lead by Edmund Bellegarde, Tribal Chairperson of the File Hills Qu’ Apelle Tribal Council, and David Williams, who is the Co-Founder and Director of Gilimbaa in Australia.

The forum, which has previously been held in New York City, Sydney, Australia and Guatemala City, runs through Thursday.