The Government of Canada has announced more funding for business recipients through the federal Indigenous Tourism Fund.
Federal Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada was in Sudbury on Monday as additional funding was announced for several Indigenous businesses across Canada.
The Aug. 12 announcement was for the third round of funding in partnership with the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC).
The full government funding was for the $10 million Indigenous Tourism Fund (ITF) Micro and Small Business Stream (MSBS), providing direct financial support to Indigenous tourism enterprises, said a news release from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
While in Sudbury, Ferrada and Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe dropped in to visit Chef Tami Maki at Raven Rising, an Indigenous-themed chocolate shop on Cedar Street. The shop previously received federal economic development funding of $100,000 from FedNor in 2022.
Maki has since announced she is moving the business to Saskatchewan. In a social media posting, Maki said the Sudbury business will close in late August, but will reopen as an ecommerce outlet in September.
Monday's news release said the funding announcement followed previous rounds of federal funding support.
- Round 1: Supported 78 Indigenous tourism businesses with approximately $1.94 million in funding, said the release.
- Round 2: Provided about $1.67 million to 67 businesses, said the release.
To date, the MSBS has delivered approximately $4.6 million in support to 186 Indigenous tourism businesses, the federal government said. This stream is designed to help Indigenous businesses become business, market and export-ready, and ensure long-term sustainability, said the release.
Len Gillis is a reporter at Sudbury.com.
