Northern Manitoba has a 10,000 year legacy of adventure and trade. With 67% of Manitoba’s land area and 6% of its population, the region has been a long-term net contributor to the economic prosperity of all Manitoba, as the source of some of the province’s richest natural resources and tourism icons.

In northern Manitoba, 73% of the population self-identifies as Indigenous and 52% of the population lives on a First Nation. And yet, little is known about how and how much Indigenous people are contributing to the economy of the North and to all of Manitoba.

This report

• quantifies spending amounts by Indigenous people in northern Manitoba in order to calculate their contributions to the provincial economy and the economy of the North
• calculates the GDP of northern Manitoba for the first time
• examines northern Manitoba’s existing urban reserves, which are growing in importance as a revenue source for First Nations
• creates projections for First Nations population and labour force in the North

Download the “Look North Indigenous Economy Report,” which was released April 10, 2019 in Thompson, MB at MKO’s Northern Urban Reserve, Municipality & Economic Development Forum.

RDI partnered with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. (MKO) and Look North to conduct this research project, which builds on the earlier work “Indigenous Contributions to the Manitoba Economy.”