Look North

Indigenous Contributions to the Manitoba Economy

This project was initiated under Look North to enable economic growth, business partnerships and investment through a better understanding of the economic contributions of Indigenous people and communities to the economy.

A partnership was formed between the Southern Chiefs’ Organization Inc. (SCO) and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. (MKO) with the Rural Development Institute (RDI) at Brandon University to research and document Indigenous economic contributions to the broader Manitoba economy. The governments of Canada and Manitoba supported this project with guidance provided by the steering committee, including representation from Look North.

The output of this research project is the creation of two reports that document the economic contributions of Indigenous people and communities to the broader Manitoba economy:

 

Indigenous Contributions to the Manitoba Economy Report

The Indigenous Contributions to the Manitoba Economy report is a comprehensive document that addresses both the northern and southern regions of Manitoba. The objectives of this report are:

  • To quantify spending amounts by Indigenous and First Nations people in Manitoba in order to calculate their contributions to the provincial economy
  • To examine existing urban reserves in Manitoba, which are growing in importance as a revenue source for First Nations
  • To create projections of Indigenous population and labour force

Report at a Glance

Indigenous Spending:

Infographic of Indigenous contributions to the Manitoba economy: $9.3 billion sppent by Indigenous People in Manitoba 2016 (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit); $6.2 billion spending from First Nations; $6 billion spent by over 700 Indigenous businesses; $1.45 billion spent by First Nations, Métis and Inuit governments; $1.38 billion spent by Indigenous households, $420 million spent by Federal, Indigenous and Provincial Governments on infrastructure

 

Impacts on the Manitoba Economy:

Infographic of Indigenous spending impacts on the Manitoba Economy

 

View the Indigenous Contributions to the Manitoba Economy report.

 

 

Look North Indigenous Economy Report

This summary is complementary to the full report and documents Indigenous economic contributions in Manitoba's north. The objectives of this report are:

  • To quantity spending amounts by Indigenous people in northern Manitoba in order to calculate their contributions to the provincial economy and the economy of the North
  • To calculate the overall GDP of northern Manitoba
  • To examine northern Manitoba’s existing urban reserves, which are growing importance as a revenue source for First Nations
  • To create projections for First Nations populations and labour force in the North

Report at a Glance

Northern Indigenous Spending:

Infographic of Northern Indigenous Spending by type (infrastructure, households, Indigenous governments, businesses)

 

Overall GDP for Northern Manitoba:

Infographic of overall GDP by industry sector

 

View the Look North Indigenous Economy Report.