Although the first step in asserting autonomy and self determination is defining the understanding of what you own, the second, and some would argue more important, is how to actually implement those economic opportunities within the framework of your community understanding. The successful implementation of those opportunities rely on two main criteria:
1) An understanding of the rules and more importantly the possible special exploitations within the reserve law that the community can apply to give itself a competitive advantage.
2) The strengths and weaknesses of the community and how to properly use those strengths and address those weaknesses with the resources available.
Taking these steps have not only improved the First Nations people’s living conditions but in a lot of situations, they have begun to thrive:
Partnership with Lockheed martin on a Nova Scotia Reserve
Williams Lake Smoked salmon business running for almost 20 years
Executive MBA offered by SFU for people with experience dealing with First Nations Admin
Strict financial regulation and policy leading to success