Chippewas of Rama First Nation hosts upcoming Anishinabek Nation Economic Development Opportunities Forum
By Rick Garrick
CHIPPEWAS OF RAMA FIRST NATION — Chippewas of Rama First Nation Chief Ted Williams is looking forward to hosting the upcoming Anishinabek Nation Economic Development Opportunities (ANEDO) Forum 2024 on Oct. 21-23 at Casino Rama.
“I’m looking forward to the forum,” Chief Williams says. “Anytime there is a conference or something happening in Rama that brings large crowds, good crowds, progressive crowds, I’m willing to do whatever I can to make their visits pleasurable and worth it because customer service is not lost on the Chippewas of Rama.”
Chief Williams says the community has a wide range of businesses, including Ojibway Bay Marina, Black River Wilderness Park, Rama Country Market, and Rama Cannabis.
“[The marina’s] been operational for 55 years now, it’s probably the best kept secret on Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching,” Chief Williams says. “They do a great job down there serving all the boaters on the Trent-Severn Canal. It’s one of our long-lasting economic development ventures.”
Chief Williams says the Black River Wilderness Park has about 100 camping sites as well as yurts and cabins.
“It’s booked solid the last few years after COVID[-19] or even during [the pandemic],” Chief Williams says. “It was just busy, the last two years, specifically, it’s booked solid.”
Chief Williams says they have a gas bar at the Rama Country Market, which broke records for sales during a recent pow wow and fastball tournament in the community.
“We beat our best day twice,” Chief Williams says. “Associated with that, we have the Subway in the Rama Country Market and we have Tim Hortons. During that particular weekend when it was really busy, our staff handled the clientele with professionalism and great service, and great service is what we’re all about.”
Chief Williams says the Rama Cannabis store employs about 15-18 staff.
“Our people who operate the store are top-notch experts on all things cannabis-related, so it’s running real good,” Chief Williams says.
Chief Williams says Casino Rama was at one time the single largest employer of First Nations people at one site in the country, with more than $500 million in revenue and about 3,400 employees.
“But today, what’s happening at the casino is we’ll do $200 million this year and we’ll employ 1,100 people, which is what we had predicted 28 years ago,” Chief Williams says. “COVID affected things but there’s some stiff competition in the metro Toronto area. We did really good, beyond our expectations, for 23-24 years at Casino Rama.”
Chief Williams says their objectives for the future include maintaining good operational businesses that provide employment for citizens and other people and generate revenues for the community.
“We’re looking at a … future planning exercise next year and we are going to speak with our community,” Chief Williams says. “It’s a chance to dream, and what would they like to see as far as Rama and its development in the future. A large part of that will be the economic development component, so that’s going to be interesting.”
Chief Williams says they have also started Cedar Leaf Capital in partnership with two other First Nation entities from Squamish and English River.
“We’re working with Scotiabank on this development and it’s unique to the Indigenous community,” Chief Williams says. “We established Cedar Leaf Capital and we were working on regulatory approval, we’ve got that and Cedar Leaf will be the first majority Indigenous-owned and operated investment dealer in Canada.”
Chief Williams says Cedar Leaf Capital will initially be 70 per cent First Nations-owned, with each Indigenous shareholder owning 23.3 per cent and Scotiabank owning 30 per cent.
“Scotiabank is committed to reducing their interest over time,” Chief Williams says. “The ultimate goal is to have Cedar Leaf Capital as a wholly Indigenous-owned, controlled, and operated [business] in the future.”
Chief Williams says they were interested in becoming a shareholder for a number of reasons.
“One is the opportunity to be an owner in an industry that has traditionally excluded First Nations people, businesses, and communities — capital markets,” Chief Williams says. “Access to capital is key for development in communities and Cedar Leaf will be a big part of that. The market represents a big business opportunity for Cedar Leaf, it is an annual $1 billion market.”
The ANEDO Forum is an opportunity to connect with Economic Development Officers, First Nation economic leaders, and subject matter experts to exchange ideas and experiences, foster networking, and learn from each other’s journey. Registration is open and welcomes everyone, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous, Anishinabek Nation communities and other First Nations, business owners, procurement organizations, and funders. Additional information is available at: anedo.ca/.