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OPENING OF THE NEW ILNU ATUSSEUN BUSINESS CENTRE IN BETSIAMITES

BETSIAMITES, QUEBEC (November 22, 2001) -René Simon, Chief of the Betsiamites Ilnu community, officially opened the community's new Ilnu Atusseun business centre today.

The building will be a dedicated business centre for the community. It offers a total of 1,896 m2 spread over two floors, which will be rented out for commercial and administrative use. Funding for the project came from the Betsiamites band council ($700,000), a loan from the Bank of Montreal ($800,000), Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's Regional Partnership Fund ($490,000) and the Secrétariat des affaires autochtones ($1.7 million). Fifteen new jobs will be created when the centre begins its operations, in addition to the temporary jobs created during construction.

"Economic development for the Ilnus is based on knowledge of the ancestral territory and its resources through an Aboriginal strategic approach, and on all kinds of partnerships," Chief René Simon said.

"The Government of Canada works with Aboriginal and Northern residents to improve their quality of life," stated Robert Nault, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. "The Regional Partnership fund helps First Nations and Inuit become more involved in major regional development projects in fields such as infrastructure, tourism and resource harvesting, and to benefit more from their spin-offs."

The business centre will provide several new services, including a post office, sports equipment store, fast food counter and a Bank of Montreal branch office. It will also house a number of community administrative agencies, such as the Betsiamites Forest Management and Development Corporation, the Betsiamites Economic Development Corporation, Télécable Pesamit, public service agencies, the negotiation division, Les Entreprises Pesamiu Ilnuts, Sotrac and the local employment and training centre.

With the opening of the new business centre, the band council hopes to stimulate the local economy and implement an effective economic development strategy.

This type of development activity illustrates the government's desire to respect its commitments. In the Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada undertook to support Aboriginal businesses and improve their capacities, thus helping to build strong, self-sufficient Aboriginal and Northern communities.

The Betsiamites community has 2,995 resident members and is located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, 54 km south of Baie Comeau.

For additional information contact:

Stéphane Rousselot
Public Service Manager
Betsiamites Band Council
Centre administratif
Phone: (418) 567-2265

Hélène Philippe
Communications Manager
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Québec Regional Office
Phone: (418) 648-7675

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