All you need to know about The Canadian Centre for Aboriginal Entrepreneurship, Inc

CCAE or the Canadian Centre for Aboriginal Entrepreneurship is for every single Canadian. It is meant for the Indigenous people to do big in Indigenous entrepreneurship as The Canadian Centre for Aboriginal Entrepreneurship, Inc. Similarly, it is equally for all the non-Indigenous communities as the Canadian Centre for Accelerated Entrepreneurship.

CCAE provides its clients with entrepreneurship project management resources, entrepreneurship training, oral and writing services on Entrepreneurship and the New Gig Economy, and consulting to government and Indigenous businesses, organizations and individuals. CCAE does this by forming virtual partnerships through complementary team members.

The organization is owned by Bruce Lacroix, President, and CEO. He was born in Halifax of mixed Mi’kmaq and French heritage. Bruce now resides in the beautiful heritage town of Nelson, BC, along with his family. Bruce regards himself as a lifelong entrepreneur who believes himself to be a ‘terrible employee ’ while working for others. However, Bruce achieves great success while working in collaboration with others.

CCAE – Goals & Mission

CCAE’ s mission is to strengthen, promote and enhance a prosperous Indigenous business economy by fostering strong business relationships, thereby using opportunities and awareness for all of its members.

Over the past 25 years, the Canadian Centre for Aboriginal Entrepreneurship, Inc. and the Canadian Centre for Accelerated Entrepreneurship (NonIndigenous) has supported more than 3,500 entrepreneurs in Canada and the Caribbean to promote successful self-employment. If you belong to the Indigenous community and wish to have your own business soon, or if you already are an Indigenous business owner, you can get assistance from the CCAE to form a successful and sustainable business community.

About Aboriginal BEST

CCAE’ s BEST aims at nurturing the entrepreneurial spirits of the people, communities, and organizations. Here, the participants can meet the guest speakers, identify capable business ideas to determine their possibilities, and take further steps to start and grow their Indigenous businesses. By being a part of this, you will learn about conducting market research, writing business plans, and exploring financing options on your enticing journey to your self-employment success path.

Aboriginal BEST is for Aboriginal, Métis, and Inuit status. This is also for those who do not belong to these communities but are interested in becoming self-employed or starting their own company. BEST can benefit you throughout your business development path and help you turn your dreams into reality. If you wish to grow your venture, being a part of BEST could be the best option for you. More than 3000 people in around 130 communities across Canada have already participated in the Aboriginal BEST in the past 15 years.

Conclusion

If you can relate to whatever you have just read above, you should be a part of the CCAE in Canada. The Indigenous business communities in Canada are growing in leaps and bounds. And it is now time to gear up and start taking baby steps ahead to the path of success.

If you wish to learn more about such Indigenous businesses in Canada, do not forget to subscribe to the CanadianSME Monthly small business magazine.

Teara Fraser

CEO / Founder at Iskwew Air An Indigenous Wonder Woman to Follow!

Teara Fraser could be gladly called a wonder woman entrepreneur in Canada. She is the Founder of the first-ever female-founded airline company, Iskwew airlines, which is now buzzing in and out from the Vancouver Island airport. Teara is now one of the top 25 Women of Influence in Canada. However, Fraser wishes to do more for the Indigenous community. She also believes that the Indigenous youth is one of the fastestgrowing demographics in Canada. And with Iskwew airlines, she just took her first step towards uplifting this community in her way.

How Did it Start?

Teara, a Canada-based single mother of two, got into a small aircraft in October 2001 and soon realized that she was meant to be a pilot. So she made up her mind of flying airplanes, and within a year, she became a certified commercial pilot. She would fly passengers in northern British Columbia, and as a young Indigenous woman, she aimed at making it big in the male-dominated aviation industry.

She founded Iskwew (pronounced as ISSKWAY-YO) airlines, an air charter company based out of Vancouver International Airport, it recently started its operation between Vancouver International Airport and Qualicum Beach Airport, four times a week.

About Teara Fraser

Teara was born in the Northwest Territories of Canada. This 49-year-old indigenous woman entrepreneur calls herself a ‘ proud Métis woman. She is a part of the Indigenous group with very distinctive customs, collective identity, and a way of life. In 2010, she started as an entrepreneur and founded an aerial survey business that allowed Fraser to combine two things that she dearly loved; aviation and the land that belonged to her ancestors. After six years, she sold that business and a kind of rebirth happened with her dream of being an Indigenous entrepreneur.

While launching her airline, she said,

“We need airplanes, but we also need to be really thinking about reciprocity with the land and how we walk more gently on our Mother Earth. ” And while doing so, she wishes to be part of the solution that will “honour, uplift and energizes [the] indigenous land story, sovereignty and stewardship.

To know more about Iskwew airlines, visit here https://www.iskwew.ca/

To know more about Teara Fraser, visit here https://www.iskwew.ca/our-people

To learn more about such dynamic women entrepreneurs in Canada, do not forget to subscribe to our monthly CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.

J u s t i n H a l l

A Dynamic Indigenous Entrepreneur to Look up to

Owner, Nk’Mip Cellars

The winemaking at Nk’Mip Cellars is led by Justin Hall, a member of the Osoyoos Band. He grew up in Osoyoos, British Columbia, and first joined Nk’Mip Cellars after completing his High School graduation. He wanted to be a mechanic, but after a few days in his job life as a cellar hand, he ultimately got hooked. He discovered a new passion for winemaking and now is the Estate Winemaker at the Nk’Mip Cellars, producing unique and award-winning wines. Justin Hall is proud to be the world’ s first indigenous winemaker and protector of the land, creating delicious, unique, and expressive wines while taking indigenous entrepreneurship to newer heights.

The Journey from Cellar Hand to Estate Winemaker

Hall knew that winemaking was something he wanted to do more seriously from the beginning. So on the fourth day [of his first job], he enrolled himself at a local college in Penticton. He met a few friends, started tasting wines on their own, and studied the ins and outs of wine.

Hall continued to hone his skills at Lincoln University in Australia and New Zealand. Although he did not receive a traditional academic education like his classmates, he did have many years of practical experience that allowed him to connect what he had learned in the vineyard with theory.

He took evening classes at Okanagan University College, receiving his certificates in the Winery Assistant and Viticulture programs. Then, to learn more about the complexities of large-scale wineries and the many roles and responsibilities involved in the winemaking process, Justin travelled to Western Australia to work at Goundrey Winery.

Justin returned to Nk’Mip Cellars after graduating from the University of Lincoln, New Zealand, with a Master ’ s degree in Brewing and Viticulture. He took on the role of an assistant winemaker.

Justin was promoted to the role of Winemaker in May 2017. Being a dedicated and devoted member of the Osoyoos Indian band, Justin collaborates with Randy Picton to create the award-winning Nk’Mip Cellars wine. He always wanted this as his profession since he states that he was born to produce the finest of wines for people worldwide. He wants to study viticulture and enology in New Zealand’ s cooler climate and further his ambition to become a top winemaker someday. Hall’ s energy is so infectious, that he ’ s turning out to be an inspiration for many indigenous business groups to come.

Justin Hall’ s Idea Behind Wine Names

The band’ s culture infiltrates Nk’Mip in different ways, starting with the names on the bottles. Its premium table wine is called Qwam Qwmt (pronounced as kw-em kw-empty), which translates as “ achieving excellence ” . Hall states that the name was given to reflect its excellence and perfection. He believes that there is no such word in the Okanagan dictionary or language as inherently perfect, and even the smallest things are always flawed. So Qwam Qwmt is in the stage of achieving perfection. This wine is produced in very limited quantities and is considered to be worthy of such a title, believes Hall.

On the other hand, Mer ’ r ’iym means ‘ marriage

’ and is the ideal name for a wine representing the union of Nk’Mip ’ s Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc.

A Brief about Nk’Mip Cellars

Nk’Mip Cellars offers a wide range of fine wines in three levels: Winemaker ’ s Series, Qwam Qwmt, and Mer ’ r ’iym. These premium wines have earned high marks and praise from critics. In fact, in 2019, Qwam Qwmt Syrah was awarded the British Columbia Lieutenant Governor ’ s Wine Awards and also received a Gold Medal.

About 500 Osoyoos Indian Band members monitor the sweet-smelling area of Osoyoos to make sure their practices are as sustainable as possible. It is located in the driest and hottest region of Canada (the southern end of the Okanagan Valley amidst the Osoyoos desert) with a land estimated to be 300 acres, producing an average of 18,000 cases per year. Hall and his troop are the protectors of the land and believe it should be left in a better place from the time of his arrival at Osoyoos in order to craft the finest of wines at Nk’Mip Cellars.