The Atikamekw community of Wemotaci has made giant economic leaps since 2014, when the picture was grim, according to the deputy director general of the Nikanik Economic Development Corporation, Adam Jourdain.
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Adam Jourdain is the Deputy Director General of the Atikamekw Council of Wemotaci.
Because when he took office in 2014, the community was facing many economic challenges. Lack of gas, high unemployment, and there was no economic development“, said Friday Mr. Jourdain before the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs of the House of Commons.
The obstacles to the economic emancipation of Wemotaci were numerous, recalled Mr. Jourdain, such as the administrative burden, the training of the workforce, the search for financing, the geographical remoteness of the community, the inequitable exploitation of natural resources, the biases and fears of financial institutions, and the mandatory 10% down payment for projects.
Access to capital remains an issue for our financial autonomy“, recalled Mr. Jourdain. For him, the Indian Act is a major obstacle to the economic development of First Nations», as in Wemotaci. The communities do not have easy access to finance“, and in this sense we would need help for individual entrepreneurs».
For these, it’s hard to get a loan“, and when it is granted the interest rates are high – rates 8 or 9% for certain projects“, denounced Mr. Jourdain. Under these conditions, it is difficult to stimulate economic activity in Aboriginal communities.
2014, a tipping point
Mr. Jourdain joined the Nikanik Economic Development Corporation in Wemotaci in 2014. At the time, the unemployment rate was close to 60%, infrastructure was deficient, and economic development was provided by the band council. The budget dedicated to it was around $40,000.
Seven years later, that budget was increased to $300,000, Jourdain said, and fiber optics (funded by the federal and provincial governments) lets dream further».
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The creation of a business center, which includes offices and rental space, created a synergy» and a passion for the economic development of Wemotaci.
There are 32 public and private companies in Wemotaci, while there were only 14 in 2014“, explained Mr. Jourdain, who added that fact a nice snowballby allowing the mobilization of the whole community.
The portrait of Wemotaci’s economic situation in 2022 is very different from that of 2014. We have created an entrepreneurial culture. There are more people entering our offices, and we want to maintain this enthusiasmfor the entrepreneurial world, confided Mr. Jourdain.
Many obstacles
The administrative heaviness in the analysis of projects is, for Mr. Jourdain, a major obstacle. When you file a business plan, the analysis can take a year before you get a formal response.».
Even following project approval, it can take 7 or 8 months to get the grant, so a project can take 2 years to come to fruition“, he said sorry. He thinks that funding for projects should be accessible more quickly.
He campaigns for specific programs for each communityin the country, while deploring that the First Nations are dependent on the federal machine“. The communities need financial help“, he conceded, but they do not have an equal chance of succeeding, according to him.
Mr. Jourdain raised the prejudices that Wemotaci faced when he took office in 2014. We had to go project by project, and demonstrate that they were credible“. Today, Mr. Jourdain is proud to the notoriety of the Corporation [Nikanik] and the economic recovery planwhich helps the community of Wemotaci.
There are $183 million worth of development projects in the community“, he congratulated himself, indicating that the difficult situation of Wemotaci has been rectified for seven years.
Many people thought we were going to failsaid Mr. Jourdain, before concluding that it’s a beautiful followingnoon for Wemotaciin the House of Commons.
