Ottawa invests $250K in Dechinta project on northern co-operative economy

The federal government is providing the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning $250,000 for a two-year project to “research the viability of developing a northern co-operative economy.”

Kelsey Wrightson, a researcher with the centre, said the project will examine both historic and modern examples of Dene and Inuit solidarity economies and create opportunities for northerners to learn how co-operative businesses can support things such as tourism, food security, and arts and cultural programming.

A solidarity economy refers to economic activities that aim to prioritize environmental and social profits.

“We know that the North is in the midst of rapid change, with new investments and considerable challenges in the current economic model that relies heavily on mining,” Wrightson told Cabin Radio in an email.

“This is an opportunity to discuss meaningful and impactful economic models that empower Indigenous people to determine economic futures that will have a positive impact on their homelands.”

The initiative aims to study Indigenous approaches to economic systems rooted in sharing and collective ownership, she said, like collectively owned traplines in the Yukon and artists’ co-operatives in the NWT and Nunavut.

Wrightson said the project will also include e a course for 12 students to help them understand Indigenous economic traditions and explore developing their own future co-operatives.

“This is a chance to demonstrate the strength of northern Indigenous economic models, and how they might be part of building a diverse and resilient economic future for northern communities,” she said.

“We hope that this project will be a meaningful contribution to diversifying the northern economy and empower northerners to take control of new economic opportunities that are rooted in northern and Indigenous values.”

In an announcement last week, the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency named Dechinta’s research project as one of four northern initiatives that are receiving nearly $490,000 combined in federal funding.