LISTUGUJ, QC – On October 8, 2009, the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO) held the nationally recognized Economic Developer of the Year Awards at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta. The Award ceremony was held in conjunction with the CANDO 16th Annual Conference and General meeting. In recognition of the outstanding achievement and contributions of Aboriginal business in the Canadian economy, CANDO presents three awards each year in the following categories: Individual Economic Developer, Community Economic Developer and Aboriginal Private Sector Business Award. The Gespe'gewaq Mi'gmaq Resource Council Inc. (GMRC) of Listuguj, Quebec, was presented with the 2009 Aboriginal Private Sector Business Award, during the national awards ceremony. The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark J. Sark was on hand to proudly accept the award on behalf of GMRC.

In making the announcement, Alfred Loon, President and Board of Director of CANDO stated, “GMRC has worked hard to grow its business in Northern New Brunswick and in the Quebec region,” and further, “We are grateful for the work that GMRC is currently doing by bringing about awareness on the importance of taking care of Mother Earth, while providing employment opportunities for First Nations.”

"CANDO is one of the pre-eminent First Nation organizations supporting economic development in Canada and I am greatly honored to receive this award,” stated Sark. "While this honor recognizes the quality of work done by the organization in supporting our Mi’gmaq communities within the region,” adding, “real credit belongs to the members of staff who come to work each and every day giving it their all. It is their contributions that have helped shape GMRC into the dynamic company it is today.”

Since opening its doors, the Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq Resource Council (GMRC) has helped create 8 full-time positions while securing over $1.7 million in combined revenue since 2006.

BACKGROUNDER

About CANDO Economic Developer of the Year

The Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers is the largest professional association of First Nation economic development officers in Canada.

Since 1995, CANDO has been hosting the Economic Developer of the Year Awards to recognize and promote recent or long-standing Aboriginal economic development initiatives throughout Canada in the following three categories: Individual Economic Developer, Community Economic Developer and Aboriginal Private Business Sector. They also present an award of recognition to each runner-up. In previous years it was the tradition of CANDO to award the Economic Developer of the Year Award, and three Recognition Award Winners. In 2002 a new category was introduced, the Individual Economic Developer of the Year and in 2008 another category was added Aboriginal Private Sector Business.

For more information on CANDO visit www.edo.ca

About Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq Resource Council Inc.

The Gespe'gewaq Mi'gmaq Resource Council (GMRC) was incorporated in 2007. The organizations business rationale is to bring about understanding and awareness on issues surrounding aquatic and natural resource management, and provide related services to both government and industry. The organization is federally incorporated under the government of Canada’s “Societies Act.” While GMRC’s head office is currently located in Listuguj, Quebec, the organization serves the First Nation communities of Eel River Bar and Pabineau in Northern New Brunswick.

The organization has grown since its inception and has quickly established itself as a leader in the field of natural resources and environmental management within the region. GMRC is currently working on several innovative projects associated with the environment and natural resources and more projects are scheduled over the next number of years.

GMRC was founded on the following core principles: delivery, dependability and quality of service. Recently the agency completed re-certification of its Total Quality Management System (TQM) and as a result it is now ISO 9001:2008 certified (ISO is an international organization for standardization). It is believed that GMRC is the one of the first aboriginal natural resource and environmental consulting firms in Canada to have this unique distinction.

GMRC’s CEO ends with saying, “While building credibility is important to any organization’s long-term existence, it’s just as important to deliver on what you say you can do. Credibility and capacity is everything in this business.”

For more information on GMRC, visit www.migmaqresource.org or www.facebook.com/migmaq