Kyra Wilson faced a steep learning curve when she became an entrepreneur four years ago.
“Within the first two years, I really learned what not to do as a business owner,” she said. “If this entrepreneurship centre was here, then I would have been able to receive that support on what I should have done initially.”
Wilson, now grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, relayed the story Wednesday morning during her remarks at the grand opening of the Wiitahnookiinitaw Tahshkayzing Entrepreneurship Centre in Winnipeg.
Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
The Treaty One Development Corp.-created WTEC is Canada’s first fully Indigenous-led business incubator. Its space on the fifth floor of the Wawanesa Building in Winnipeg is currently being renovated. It will temporarily operate out of the eight floor until work is done.
An initiative of Treaty One Development Corp., the centre is Canada’s first fully Indigenous-led business incubator.
Indigenous people have many great ideas and entrepreneurial gifts, Wilson said. “When we’re supported and we’re guided on that path then … many barriers are removed and we’re able to be successful in that journey.”
Located in Wawanesa Insurance’s former executive office at 191 Broadway, the centre will be a place where Indigenous entrepreneurs can access capital, legal and financial guidance, mentorship, marketing support and business connections.
During her remarks, Kathleen BlueSky, chief executive officer of both Treaty One Development Corp. and the new centre, noted the WTEC’s proximity to The Forks.
“The first international trade centre in Canada and it was led by First Nations people,” she said. “This really is about coming back to the roots of what economic development means from an Indigenous perspective and providing the resources, the supports, the partnerships for people to be successful.”
The purpose of the centre is to support the next generation of business leaders, she added. “It’s a place that’s built by us, for us and that is fundamental to empowerment and self-determination.”
Wiitahnookiinitaw tahshkayzing are Anishinaabemowin words meaning “working together to succeed” — a reminder of the strength that lies in community and collaboration, BlueSky said.
In addition to the Winnipeg office, WTEC is setting up two satellite entrepreneurship hubs: one in southern Manitoba in Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation and the other in the North in collaboration with Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation.
WTEC will focus on working with Manitobans initially, BlueSky said, but the intent is to eventually make it available to entrepreneurs from across Canada.
BlueSky anticipates the centre will work with 20 to 30 entrepreneurs in its first year, expanding to 100 or 200 “in the next couple of years.”
WTEC is a collaboration between Treaty One Development Corp. and more than 15 government, academic and industry partners. The centre has received $750,000 in investments thus far from public and private sponsors, including $500,000 from the provincial government through its Indigenous Economic Development Fund.
The Manitoba government is proud to support the centre and looks forward to the legacy it will create for generations to come, said Ian Bushie, minister of natural resources and Indigenous futures.
Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
Kathleen BlueSky, CEO of Wiitahnookiinitaw Tahshkayzing Entrepreneurship Centre, Canada’s first Indigenous-led entrepreneurship centre.
“Today is historic,” Bushie said. “I’m not sharing any secrets when I talk about the economic horsepower in Indigenous communities because it truly is there.”
The centre’s partners include Wawanesa, which is contributing mentorship, networking support, programming collaboration, financial support and the use of its building.
“When we moved into our new headquarters just a few blocks away, we wanted to use this building to benefit our community and work with corporations and organizations to bring more people and teams downtown,” said Gord Dowhan, senior vice-president and chief financial officer at Wawanesa.
“There’s no doubt in our minds that WTEC is the perfect fit to see this building transformed into a hub where Indigenous entrepreneurs can grow, connect and thrive in an incredible, meaningful way.”
Other partners contributing financial support, programming collaboration and expertise include Red Leaf Capital, Deloitte, Bockstael Construction, the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business and the Winnipeg Airports Authority.
WTEC is currently renovating a 5,000-square-foot space on the fifth floor of 191 Broadway. Once completed, it will feature a boardroom, meeting room, open work area and offices where entrepreneurs can work and meet with advisers and mentors. Until the renovations are complete, the centre is temporarily located on the building’s eighth floor.
According to the National Indigenous Economic Development Board, more than 50,000 Indigenous-owned businesses in Canada contribute $31 billion to the country’s gross domestic product annually.
Aaron Epp
Reporter
Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron.
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