Aboriginal Community Enterprises (ACE) Project

Alberta Hub in partnership with Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement; Cold Lake First Nations; Elizabeth Métis Settlement; Fishing Lake Métis Settlement; Kehewin Cree Nation; Kikino Métis Settlement; Whitefish Lake First Nations #128; Alberta Employment and Immigration and the Rural Alberta Development Fund will be conjointly undertaking the Aboriginal Community Enterprises (ACE) project.

The purpose of the ACE Project is to create Aboriginal owned and operated businesses resulting in significant economic benefits to the aboriginal communities involved and the Alberta HUB region in general. The project will help fill gaps in areas which consistently limit the ability of Aboriginal communities to participate fully in the Alberta Advantage. The Project will address high levels of unemployment, limited resources for the establishment of businesses and the need for assistance with initiating economic development training activities at the community level.There are three main components in the ACE Project:

• Community Readiness (training local economic development facilitators, community profiles, community websites, management system for handling inquiries from businesses and individual entrepreneurs);
• Investment Attraction(Identifying business opportunities, prepare business profiles, identify local Aboriginal entities to participate, identify strategic partners, memorandum of understanding (MOU), business plans, sign a final agreement); and,
• Diversified Stable Workforce (Identify what labour is currently available in the aboriginal communities and what are the current and potential skills (education and training) of this labour force).

For More Information on the Alberta HUB ACE initiatives contact:
Annette Daniels,
Phone: 780.645.1155
adaniels@albertahub.com