Four businesses in Simcoe County are among 28 in the province to receive Hydro One Indigenous Entrepreneurship Grants.
The grants, in partnership with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), were announced Wednesday during a ceremony at Fort William First Nation.
The local recipients are as follows:
Shop Métis Inc. ($7,500 grant and CCAB membership)
Shop Métis Inc., in Midland, is a Métis-owned, youth-led, family-run start-up “on a mission to become Canada’s leading Métis business amplifier,” Hydro One stated in a news release. “They’re making it fun and easy for Canadian consumers — including the half-a-million Métis citizens across Canada — to shop Métis for all their needs, with just a few easy clicks. Through their innovative Métis business finder and national Métis business directory, they’re creating a boundary-free marketplace for all things Métis.”
Spirit Fit ($2,500 grant and CCAB membership)
Spirit Fit, on Christian Island, provides wellness programming to Indigenous communities and businesses. Programming includes fitness classes, office wellness, one-on-one personal training, reflexology, hypnosis, and motivational speaking.
Indigenous Artifax ($2,500 grant and CCAB membership)
Indigenous Artifax, in Orillia, is the official art supplier for the Indigenous art collective Windigo Army.
Noctua Publishing Inc. ($2,500 grant and CCAB membership)
Noctua Publishing Inc., in Orillia, assists authors of fiction and nonfiction in distributing their work to bookstores and marketplaces worldwide.
CCAB president Tabatha Bull congratulated all of the grant recipients.
“For the second year in a row, we’re thrilled to continue working with Hydro One and to assist Ontario Indigenous businesses in enhancing their business and achieving their goals,” Bull said.
Lindsay Zylstra, Hydro One’s vice-president of supply chain, said the grants are “an incredible opportunity for us to discover new Indigenous companies that we can do business with.
“We will continue to leverage our unique position in the province to expand our network of Indigenous-owned businesses and create mutually beneficial relationships with Indigenous communities.”
