NationTalk: At Indigenous Chamber of Commerce (ICC), we have the pleasure of receiving funds for two projects from PrairiesCan under the Manitoba Indigenous Critical Minerals Partnerships Initiative (MICMPI).

The first project enables us to support 36 First Nations businesses and communities over 3 years (2024 – 2026) to participate in the Manitoba Indigenous Business Showcase at the Prospectors & Developers Association Conference (PDAC), in Toronto, ON. At this conference, Indigenous business and communities are put in front of the largest mining, prospectors and developers in the world. The PDAC 2024 conference brought great success to the communities that attended with ICC in gaining knowledge and creating invaluable relationships with mining stakeholders.

The second project is Phase 2 of the Mining Readiness Assessment Engagement. This project allows us to assist 17 preselected First Nations evaluate their capacity to participate in the economic opportunities related to mining. Engagement conversations consider current economic activities, capacity, interest and further development of resources in relation to the potential critical minerals within proximity to their traditional territories.

Funding for both projects significantly contributes to ICC’s work towards our goal of economic reconciliation as well as our work of promoting & growing the Indigenous economy by strengthening Indigenous knowledge, leadership and networking.

Susan Harlow
Project Manager
Indigenous Chamber of Commerce