“The greatest thing I’ve been able to achieve was with my community being able to take one of these investment opportunities and leverage that cash flow in order to acquire land for the community.
Willow Lake prior was a landless Métis community and we were successful in acquiring 205 acres of land for the Nation there and built a plan around re-introducing bison back to the land. And happy to say earlier last month, in February, they were able to bring the bison back to the land.”
In this weeks’ installment of Voices of our people, Justin Bourque, Founder and President of Âsokan Generational Developments shares his journey from industry to community leadership, and now to advancing equity opportunities for Indigenous Nations and groups.
The story of the Willow Lake land purchase is a powerful example of what’s possible when Indigenous Nations and groups have access to the right financial tools and partners. With support from AIOC loan guarantees, transaction like this can move forward and support Indigenous Nations and groups to unlock capital and invest in their futures.
Voices of Our People is an ongoing series on the Windspeaker Radio Network featuring stories from Indigenous People across Canada. Brought to you by the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC), proud to back Indigenous Nations and groups in the pursuit of transformative investment partnerships.
Listen to Justin’s interview here:
