Mi’kmaw Corporation From Nova Scotia Captures National Business Award at Cando Conference

Rose Paul has a lot of perseverance. A year into her position as the economic development officer for the Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation, Paul uncovered paperwork that would impact her work responsibilities for years to come. “It was something I actually stumbled on in storage,” Paul said. The ‘something’ Paul discovered were meeting minutes and other documents from the provincial and federal governments about a breached agreement involving her First Nation. Back in the early 1960s, the construction of Highway 104 divided Paqtnkek in half. As a result, the southern portion of the First Nation was not developed since it was not easily accessible. Paul was keen to change that. “I’d seen their wrongdoing on my community,” Paul said of government officials who had initially downplayed the developmental impacts on Paqtnkek but then fought against any construction on the south side. “I wanted to rectify it.” Despite numerous obstacles, including funding problems and layers of bureaucracy, Paul never gave up her hope of seeing businesses thriving on the south side of her First Nation. She kept plugging away to make her dream a reality, even as various chiefs and council members came and went over the years. “It was a very long process, very difficult and a lot of barriers we had to go through,” she said. But it was a necessary process, and ultimately, Paul’s persistence led to the development of a highway interchange and connector roads funded by the federal and provincial governments. The highway interchange opened in 2019, along with the Bayside Development Corporation, which is comprised of the Bayside Travel Centre’s businesses—yet another development credited to Paul. As a result, people are no longer just driving through Paqtnkek. Ideally located just 20 minutes from the town of Antigonish and 25 minutes from Cape Breton, the Bayside site attracts visitors from around the world for its first-class cultural, historical, and recreational experiences. “It’s known as the destination to be,” Paul said. “The project is a very victorious moment for us.” The site includes By the Bay (a tourism and gift centre) and the first provincially sanctioned Nova Scotia liquor store in a Mi’kmaq community. And that’s not all. The first phase of the 12-acre site’s development also included the construction of a Husky diesel cardlock, an Esso gas station, a convenience store, a Tim Hortons, and a Mary Brown’s restaurant. Having various businesses start welcoming customers at the Bayside Development Corporation was a pleasant sight for Paul and others. “It was a journey to achieve such a milestone for a community,” she said. Indeed, the Bayside Development Corporation has garnered national recognition. It captured the Indigenous Private Sector Business Award at the 2023 Cando Conference, held in Membertou, Nova Scotia. Cando is the national organization that promotes economic development in Indigenous communities across the country, and Paul was ecstatic when her First Nation garnered this prestigious accolade: “I was very emotional and proud to see how far we have come. It was deeply heartfelt to know we made it.” Paul, however, believes she should not be the only one receiving credit. “I had a strong team,” she explains. “The community trusted me. And the leadership trusted me to lead.” That’s why Paul was pleased to have various Paqtnkek members join her when she accepted the Cando award. “Everything was so moving bringing the team together on stage,” she said. “It gave us more empowerment and more motivation.” The Bayside Development Corporation was one of the three major award winners at the Cando Conference. The other finalist in its category was IRP Consulting, a Whitehorse-based company owned by Davida …