2006



Individual Economic Developer of the Year

Gary Swite, Kelowna, BC


Gary Swite, a Board Member of All Nations Trust Company in British Columbia, won the Individual Award. Whitecap Dakota First Nation represented by Chief Darcy Bear was awarded in the Business/Community category.

Gary Swite from Kelowna, British Columbia, was recognized for his unprecedented efforts in developing numerous successful business ventures as well as for his ongoing mentorship of Aboriginal youth involved in community economic development. Gary promotes Aboriginal employment in his business by employing youth from his community, and is dedicated to providing valuable training and skills development through mentoring youth and other going into business. Gary feels that the major impacts his business partnerships have had are “providing employment…[by taking] away from working for those home-based jobs to working in the city. They gain a broader experience by working in what [Gary calls] the ‘real world.’” Gary’s words of wisdom include these insightful guidelines: “If you want to do it… you [must have] courage, [put in] the effort, and [have] goals…I don’t do anything unless I set a goal…put a strategy in place and…proceed to the next step.” Gary’s personal long-term goals include using his experience, skills, and challenges to “help other communities within [his] area or individuals that have an interest, like a mentorship… [to] get something going.” Congratulations, Gary, on being the 2006 Individual Economic Developer of the Year Winner, and best of luck to you in the future!

Individual Economic Developer of the Year Recognition 2006
Maynard Angus, Prince Rupert, BC

Maynard Angus, from Community Futures of the Pacific Northwest in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, received the Economic Developer Recognition Award in the Individual category for his outstanding contribution to developing the Resources, Access, and Information Network (RAIN) Project. Reflecting on the success of the project, Maynard comments that “[he’s only] one person…with the organization that of course makes it work and one person in a community of all those that have participated, so…it was really [his role] as the manager of the organization to bring projects and programs into play.” RAIN is a training program designed to give community members valuable skills, knowledge and confidence, allowing them to share their wisdom with others while building capacity in their communities. The main purpose of the RAIN project is “to build capacity with individuals and with the communities around Internet access, which…would allow the community to develop web sites individually…” It is also for “those that are looking for jobs…and, of course, everything that comes along with having high-speed Internet.” Maynard’s primary long-term goal is to return to school to earn an economic development education so he can further contribute to developing sustainable community economic initiatives. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors, Maynard!


Business Economic Developer of the Year

Whitecap Dakota First Nation, Saskatoon, SK


The Whitecap Dakota First Nation located just south of Saskatoon, was honoured in the Business/Community category for transforming their reserve into a thriving community, now famous for its fabulous Dakota Dunes Golf Links. Golf Digest, a leading authority in golf, rated Dakota Dunes Canada’s Best New Course in 2005. “It is really an honour to get that type of an award. We’re very proud of Dakota Dunes, it’s our first business that got moving…I think that things just seemed to snowball from there.” says Whitecap Dakota’s Chief Darcy Bear. “You know, you have one success and people start to see, the business community starts to see, that there’s a lot of opportunities there….” Whitecap Dakota First Nation is currently constructing a casino and has many other ventures planned, aimed to further enhance the richness of their community. These projects include a hotel, retail opportunities, an industrial park, and townhouse and condominium developments. Whitecap Dakota has shown great leadership in involving its surrounding communities and other First Nations to partner-up on these projects in order to improve the prosperity of all of their people. “It’s not just our people that benefit. It’s other First Nations, people in the whole area, and we all work together, we all partner together…and I think that’s what its going to take to move things forward. We all have capital, but when we pool our resources together we can do great things.” Good luck with your future projects, and congratulations on your Economic Development of the Year Award - it is well deserved!

Business Economic Developer of the Year Recognition 2006

Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario

Chief Mike Carpenter represented Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario as he received the Business/Community Economic Developer Recognition Award. This community was recognized for its groundbreaking negotiations and subsequent joint venture with De Beers on the Victor Diamond Mine Project. “It’s given Attawapiskat a lot of hope. A lot of hope for…improving the quality of life.” This project will give their community an economic boost and will provide many jobs for years to come. Attawapiskat First Nation was “able to…get a lot of contracts from De Beers because part of the negotiations…were the open book contracts.” The First Nation plans to use this project as a jump-start to addressing sustainable initiatives and tackling social issues. “We plan to…encourage our young people to start going to school. From our experience all the people that we hired to help [with the negotiations and the project] came from outside. I’m going to try and encourage people to go and do these fields so we can have our own people deal with these issues in the future.” Chief Mike Carpenter recognizes others in his community who have had a hand in making this project happen and is “so proud of…the accomplishments [of] all those people behind the economic development officers…and give them credit for all the hard work.” Congratulations on being the Recognition recipient, and for the outstanding dedication you have put towards making the Victor Project a positive step for your community!


2006 ED of the Year Awards


"Proud to be Spiritual"
 This illustration depicts the Eagle flying over his home - the land, water and sky.  He is proud to be an Eagle and of what he believes in, seeing the true beauty of the world.  He is a magnificent being in a magnificent land.























"Marsh Dance"
As a young boy, I trapped and hunted.  Some of my favorite memories were watching the wildlife.  I can still see the images as if it were yesterday.  The Heron and the Eagle were my favorite birds to watch.  I marveled at the Heron for its elegance and grace and the Eagle for its power and magnificence.  Marsh Dance is a personal piece from me, the artist.  I wanted it to be a graceful dance, perhaps out of joy for its beautiful surroundings or to show off its magnificence.  The Heron is a special part of nature to me, so when I paint one, it is usually painted with a memory of what I saw in the past, but put into an abstract art form.  The feathers represent the Native aspect of the art, and the cattails represent Mother Earth, who is so generous to bring us beautiful animals like the Heron.





"Bring us Back Mother"
In this picture, the Caribou Spirit is asking for help from Mother Earth, the Creator.  The Caribou is becoming an endangered species and needs help in every way to survive or we will be losing a magnificent living creature. The dots in the picture represent the aura and strength the Caribou carries throughout his life on Earth.





"The Bear Lives On"
This picture illustrates a Bear, finished his time here on Earth, getting ready to make his journey to the Spirit World.  The Earth was a part of his journey and now he moves on to his next phase. The feather represents Native Spirituality with the four directions around the sun to help guide him on his way.  He is a powerful and highly respected symbol.



Recognize! Celebrate! Honour!

Sharing our stories and celebrating our successes will ensure that economic development initiatives continue to grow.

Since 1995, the CANDO Economic Developer of the Year was created to recognize and promote recent or long-standing Aboriginal economic development initiatives throughout Canada.

Two outstanding examples of Aboriginal economic development will be awarded for their hard work this year. Delegates at the National Conference vote for two categories: Individual and Business/Community. There are two runner up categories selected to receive recognition awards.

Learn More about the Economic Developer Awards