Web site supports partnership creation

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Promoting and supporting Aboriginal partnerships with non-Aboriginal firms is just one of the goals of Aboriginal Business Development Online, the Ontario government's Web site dedicated to helping to strengthen Aboriginal economies across the province.

The site, located at www.aboriginalbusiness.on.ca, is part of the province's Building Aboriginal Economies strategy, launched in 1998. The strategy outlines four approaches to encouraging economic growth among Aboriginal people-removing barriers, improving access, creating opportunities, and increasing the number of Aboriginal/corporate partnerships.

A major part of the strategy is the Working Partnerships Program, designed to support the creation of more Aboriginal/corporate partnerships. Among the initiatives that have been launched as part of the program is a series of forums organized to promote partnership opportunities and encourage networking between potential partners, as well as establishment of the annual Ontario Aboriginal Partnership Recognition Awards, which recognize successful joint ventures involving Aboriginal and private sector partners.

In order to further support and encourage these partnerships, a number of supports have been put in place, including the Web site, and a resource kit.

The Partnership Development Resource Kit, launched in November 2001, examines the advantages of developing partnerships and looks at the inner workings of the partnership process. It also provides profiles of both Ontario's Aboriginal communities, and its corporate sector, to give potential partners a better understanding of each other.

Case studies about successful Aboriginal/corporate partnerships are also included in the resource kit, along with a list of resources on partnership development. The kits are available on the Web site.

In addition to the resource kit, the site also includes links to directories of Aboriginal businesses in Ontario, links to sources of financing and economic development support for Aboriginal businesses, facts and statistics about Aboriginal businesses, and additional case studies highlighting partnership successes.

Tips on how to start and run a successful business, and links to other government business development initiatives are also online on the site.