“Our people have always been builders, innovators, and Knowledge Keepers. When our entrepreneurs have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, everyone benefits.”
– Grand Chief Jerry Daniels
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 2026
ANISHINAABE AND DAKOTA TERRITORY, MB — In honour of Small Business Week, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) is recognizing the First Nations entrepreneurs and business owners who are strengthening southern First Nations, creating opportunities for our citizens, and contributing to local economies.
Small businesses play an important role in building strong, resilient economies. For First Nations, entrepreneurship is also a pathway to economic sovereignty, self-determination, and greater control over our economic futures. Across SCO’s 33 Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations, First Nations entrepreneurs are turning ideas into businesses and building opportunities for current and future generations.
“Small Business Week is an opportunity to recognize the determination, innovation, and leadership of First Nations entrepreneurs,” said SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. “Our people have always been builders, innovators, and Knowledge Keepers. When our entrepreneurs have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, everyone benefits.”
SCO is also pleased to announce that Binasi: An Economic Reconciliation Forum will return on March 3 and 4, 2027, at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg, Treaty One Territory.
Through Binasi, SCO and Southern Chiefs Economic Development (SCED) are bringing together First Nations leaders, economic development professionals, businesses, government representatives, and industry leaders for two days of connecting, learning, and economic opportunity. The Forum builds on SCO’s ongoing commitment to economic reconciliation and First Nations economic sovereignty.
SCO’s work on Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn, the redevelopment of the former Hudson’s Bay building in downtown Winnipeg, demonstrates how First Nations-led investment can help create opportunities and contribute to economic renewal. Through projects and partnerships like these, SCO is working to ensure First Nations citizens have greater access to employment, business development, and economic opportunities.
First Nations businesses are contributing to the growth of First Nations across southern Manitoba. These entrepreneurs are helping build stronger local economies while creating pathways for the next generation of First Nations business leaders. To learn more about these businesses, visit SCO’s Southern First Nation Businesses directory.
“First Nations have always had the knowledge and skills to build strong economies for our people. Supporting our entrepreneurs and creating opportunities within our Nations helps us build a stronger future for the next generations. Forums like Binasi are important because they bring people together to share ideas, build partnerships, and explore new opportunities for First Nations-led economic development” shared Chief Gordon Bluesky of Brokenhead Ojibway Nation.
SCO and SCED invite First Nations leaders, entrepreneurs, businesses, and potential partners to join us at Binasi 2027 as we continue working toward a stronger, more inclusive economic future led by First Nations.
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The Southern Chiefs’ Organization represents 33 First Nations and more than 92,000 citizens in what is now called southern Manitoba. SCO is an independent political organization that protects, preserves, promotes, and enhances First Nations peoples’ inherent rights, languages, customs, and traditions through the application and implementation of the spirit and intent of the Treaty-making process.
For media inquiries:
Email: Media@scoinc.mb.ca