Economiv Development Officer Report
By: Marilyn Joseph
Happy New Year to everyone! Since I have been moved into the Economic Development Department, I have been working on the structure and the process of the LB Econonomic Development Society. Funding from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs was finally approved on December 7, 2009. This is the funding source for our work plan; the process of getting organized and the structure will be long, but we will get there. Information in regards to the work plan were given out during the AGA back in October of 2009, this report is a follow up.
The LB Economic Development Society Board of Director’s are as follows:
- Gordon Alec, President
- Leon Taylor, Vice-President
- Priscilla Crouse, Secretary/Treasurer
- Richard Williams
- Collin Williams
We have a good group, the old and experienced and the young and eager. We have had our first meeting in December 2009 where the Board of Directors voted the President, Vice-President and Secretary/Treasurer. The first point of order in this meeting that came to the director’s attention is making changes to the by-laws where it will state that the community members will be electing the community representative if any board member was to resign and the decision making processes.
To update everyone on the work plan on completing the structure of the Lake Babine Economic Development Society, we have hired a consultant, Barry Hitchens, CESO VA who is a business professional who will sit down with the Board of Directors to train them in the following:
- Board of Directors Roles and Responsibilities
- Flow Chart of "Lines of Communication"
- Draft Operating Procedures of Society
- Draft Operating procedure for each business activity
- Finalize overall structure, authorities and management
I set up a meeting on February 6, 2010 at the LBN office at 3:00pm with the CESO VA who will review the records of LBN Economic Development Society and by that he will draft up a training and work plan to help complete the structure and processes for the Society. The training will start in March 2010, due to the CESO VA being involved in the Olympics from February 12, 2010 to February 28, 2010.
Up-date on February 6, 2010 Working Session
It was a good opportunity and an orientation for the Lake Babine Economic Development Society to meet with the CESO VA, Barry Hitchens, who will be providing the Roles and Responsibility Training as a Board of Director. The training will happen in two parts:
Part 1 Orientation
Part 2 Roles and Responsibilities and Operational Guidelines
The dates set for the following training
March 11, 2010 starting form 1:30pm
March 24, 2010 starting from 9:30am
March 25, 2010 starting from 9:30am
All Board of Directors are required to be there.
Dean Mason & Company, Matt Brown, CA:
In our work plan, one of the initiatives is to look into developing a corporation that would house the LBN businesses and for it to be a profitable entity as there was a concern from the Chief and Council stating that our society is non-profit and yet we have the businesses housed under it. By this, the board has invited Dean Mason and Comany, Matt Brown, CA to bring forth governance model that the Board would like to develop and the following is what was discussed.
Matt Brown, CA on March 4, 2010 at 6pm in the Chief and Council Chanbers met with the LB Economic Development Board had brought up two scenarios of a governance model. The model that the board has decided to set up is a limited partnership model as it made good sense that it would be a benefit for both the LB Economic Development Society and the Lake Babine Nation for the following reasons:
- Tax Advantage: 99.99% profit from the businesses under the limited partnership as investment income to the Nation:
- Income: Under current tax legislation this income is exempt from tax.
- Limited Partner: The Nation will not be held liable if the company goes bankrupt.
A condition is the following; under this model, the Nation’s Chief and Council who will be the Limited Partner and cannot be seen to be managing the business in any way, otherwise, the Nation would be liable for the corporate debt.
The board has decided to engage the services of Dean Mason and Company, Matt Brown, CA to provide the tax restructuring services to Lake Babine Economic Development Society and Lake Babine and to engage in the services of a lawyer who will draft up the paperwork to form the new company under the limited partnership, with Lake Babine being the limited partner and the new company the general partner.
With the new company being developed, the LBEDS Board of Directors will be transferred to be the Board of Directors of the new company, and not sure what will become of the LBN Economic Development Society, I am hoping we can keep this company to be a resource organization in employment and training for membershjip. We will keep you informed.
When we go ahead with this work, the society will probably be looking for a name for the NEW COMPANY that is to be formed and name suggestions will be taken and considered.
We are looking for an office that will house the LBEDS and the NEW COMPANY. Discussions were directed towards the office space above the hall. Cherill Greening, MPMC Bingo and Hall Manager is making efforts to get the renovations completed for possible use of the space as an office. Right now, organizations or groups have used it as storage and Cherill will contact the groups to see what they would like to do with their belongings. The other option is looking at renting an office downtown, although the directors are concerned about taxes.
The LBEDS have decided to have quarterly meetings beginning with the New Year on January 19, 2010 and March 16, 2010, June 15, 2010 and so forth. . . I imagine if and when we get really busy with the work plan and when we need decisions made, th board will be advised to change the meetings to monthly.
To update you on this, on January 19, 2010, the LBN Economic Development Society Board of Directors have met with the LBN Chief and Council and the message was clean, the lBN leaders have already expressed to the LB Economic Development Society Board of Directors and signed a BCR before stating the Society will be at an arm’s length away from LBN. This means that the Society will be the decision makers on all economic initiatives and partnerships coming now and in the future.
At this meeting we had Irene Mills, fromt he Ministry of Aboriginal Relatoins and Reconciliation doing a presentation on what htey can do for the communities of LBN. They are there to help build capacity, help to access provincial resources and partnerships. They can build on assets and instead of re-inventing the wheel, they wilkl find industries or first nations that have or currently in the project to share information with us to help us decide if the business will be viable. Oour Nation is interested in bio-mass; pellet plants; and tourism projects. So Irene Mills provided a name of a nation that is currently working on a pellet plant project which is Whispering Pines / Clinton Band.
When the LBEDS Board of Director’s complete their training, they will help to develop policies and procedures such as the Human Resource, Financial Procedures and Job Descriptions for all staff under the Lake Babine Economic Development Society and the businesses. This will keep the management and the directors accountable. The next order of work will be to go out to the communities to start developing the community economic development work plan (strategic plans) that will give us an idea of what bkusinesses the communities would like to initiate. We will help research and build capacity by bringing in resources to help with the projects usch as Irene Mills from the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.
On March 11, 2010, Barry Hitchens from CESO facilitated a Board of Director Trianing on the Roles and Responsibility which started at 1:30pm at BLNDC, this was informational and a good experience, the Board came out with a lot of understanding of their duties and the processes of an organization change over. The next training is scheduled for March 24, 25, 2010 which is an all day session. Thank You to the LBEDS board members who attended this important session.
There are a lot of opportunities for the Naiton out there and we will prosper with good economic initiatives if we all strive to work together and we will make an effort for the benefit of the community members. This is quite exciting. It will be a hsort of long process, but we will eventually get to the point of being an organization of actuality.
I will update you on the progeress of our development of the structure and processes.
Mussi
On May 2, May 3 and May 8 Community and Economic Development Workshops were held in the Lake Babine Nation Communities. These workshops were well attended and informative for all who participated. 
As a follow-up to the Community & Economic Development workshop held in May 2007, a powerpoint presentation was developed for education of our band members and other interested parties regarding the need for economic development planning in our community. Focusing on the linkage between community and economic development, the current needs and existing programs available to band members and the need to participate in planning efforts to ensure success.