
Economic Development
The First Nation People have relationships, rights, and responsibilities to the lands and water, which are drawn from sacred law and traditional law. We are the original stewards of the land, and we believe that what we do to the land we do to ourselves, and to our future generations.
When it comes to economic development, First Nations in Ontario face a host of diverse and complex opportunities and challenges. The Chiefs of Ontario play a role in working with communities to develop tools to address some of these opportunities and challenges and offers advocacy support for Economic Development initiatives.
First Nation communities are becoming increasingly involved in sectors such as energy projects, mining, forestry, tourism, agriculture, and gaming etc. From producing locally grown food to generating electricity, from owning and operating world class casinos, resorts, and golf courses, to producing the next generation of trades people and professionals, First Nations have vast potential to enhance the economies of their citizens.

Sustainable Economic Development
Sustainable economic development means committing ourselves to generate economic opportunities for our Peoples today while upholding our responsibility to the lands and the waters for future generations.
We believe that everything that we need to sustain us is contained in the resources of our Mother Earth. Thus “sustainable development” must be exercised and developed not only to the benefits of our generations today, but that today’s development will not leave our future generations without these same benefits from sustainable resources.
Our Nations have the inherent right, as reaffirmed through the Treaties, the UNDRIP, and the Canadian Constitution, to protect, develop and utilize our traditional territories. The Treaty relationship stipulates the sharing of resources within our territories, as well as the free, prior and informed consent required by our Nations for any development on these lands.
We have a critical role to play in making sustainable development a reality in Canada, given our responsibilities for managing the lands, the importance of honouring Creation and the earth to our way of life, and the fact that we are most often the first to experience the impacts of environmental change and damage.
First Nations seek to build relationships with industry and commercial sectors, and foresee ourselves as players at all levels of the economy, but these relationships must be built on our inherent right to assert jurisdiction over our traditional territories.
Contact Economic Development
Arvind Sharma P.Eng
Director of Economic Development
Chiefs of Ontario
Cell: 705 929 6035
Office: 416 597 1266
Toll-Free: 1-877-517-6527
Arvind.Sharma@coo.org
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(Toronto, ON – May 2, 2024) The Chiefs of Ontario is encouraging First Nations business owners to sign up for the
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(Toronto, ON – October 19, 2022) Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare issued the following statement welcoming the Government of Ontario’s $25
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SCUGOG — The Ontario government is providing $25 million over the next three years to support economic development in Indigenous communities.
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