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The Kitsaki Development Corporation was formed in 1981, by the Lac La Ronge Band Council with the goal of developing business ventures to provide employment opportunities for First Nations people in the North. The Band Council was looking for ways to reduce reliance on federal government funding which they felt was eroding their social needs and their economy. Once set up as a commercial entity, the Corporation was able to borrow money against its collateral like any business venture off the reserve. By making systematic analyses of every sector of the northern economy, Kitsaki was able to target profitable business opportunities and joint venture partners to help realize them. Twenty five years later, Kitsaki has become one of the best examples of community-based economic development in Saskatchewan. The band of 8,000 First Nations people, living in six different communities, owns or jointly owns 30 companies and 12 businesses, including a hotel, a catering company that services the northern forest and mining industry, a trucking company and beef jerky and wild rice production ventures. Gross total sales for the year ending March 2006 exceeded $70 million. Through Band-operated schools, Kitsaki is able to provide both training and employment opportunities to Band members who wish to remain in their communities.

(Source: website of Kitsaki Management Limited Partnership)

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