Triple Play news days for Community Futures

Community Futures is three for three on the pages of the Daily News this week, as for the third day in a row the local Community Futures office received its fair share of publicity.

The latest article is a page three review of an award given to Maynard Angus, the Manager of Community Futures of the Pacific Northwest. Angus was honoured with a National award as one of the top aboriginal economic developers at a gathering in Saskatoon earlier this month.

The story examined the award that he received and looks back at his experience with Community Futures, what some of the projects that they were involved with locally were and featured his involvement with the local community.

ANGUS RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE BEST
Community Futures manager honoured with national award
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, October 25, 2006.

Maynard Angus, general manager for Community Futures of the Pacific Northwest, has been recognized as one of the top aboriginal economic developers in the country by the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO)

Angus, who was nominated in the ‘individual’ category, received the runner up award during a CANDO conference in Saskatoon earlier this month.

“It was an honour to be selected because there was only two of us in Canada,” said Angus.

Each year CANDO chooses two individuals and two businesses/community projects for its Economic Developer of the Year awards. The individuals and businesses then make a presentation during the annual conference and delegates vote for the winner.

Angus, said when he was first asked to speak, he thought it was under the business/community category for the Community Futures project called the Resources, Access and Information Network (RAIN). This project brought high-speed internet and many associated opportunities to remote communities. When he found out that the nomination was in fact in the ‘individual’ category, he was asked to re-write his presentation and talk about his individual achievements.

“It was pretty difficult to do that… trying to put my presentation together from an individual standpoint. Because of all the projects we’ve don and we’ve done many, they are not mine,” he said. “The projects that don’t belong to me, they belong to the communities.”

Angus who is from Kincolith, has been General Manager at Community Futures of the Pacific Northwest since it opened in 1999. In that time, the organization has helped leverage more than $10 million for community projects such as the container port, Northland Cruise Terminal, the dock and wharf rebuild in Kitkatla and the cultural centre in Hartley Bay.

With 22 years of business experience in small and corporate business, Angus was recognized for his ability to bring his education, experience and commitment to the community in his work with the Community Futures.

In addition to his work at Community Futures, Angus is involved with the Rotary Club, is chairman of the Coast Community Future Fisheries Legacy Trust, is a member of the First Nations Technology Council, has a Directorship on the Nisga’a local government and is a member of the CFDABC’s Enhanced Aboriginal Service Delivery Program.

He also sits on the steering committees for the B. C. Pacific Northwest’s regional infrastructure development strategic project.

CANDO is the only national organization that focuses on education and professional development for EDO’s working in Aboriginal communities or organizations.

Angus said he enjoyed the Saskatoon conference because it offered him a look at what is taking place in other parts of the country.

“There was a lot of young people at the conference. It was interesting from that perspective and it was interesting to see what was going on in Canada with regards to aboriginal communities,” he said.

“You begin to realize they (aboriginal business people) are starting to make their mark. In areas like small business, they are the fastest growing small business segment, 6.8 per cent last year.”

This year’s winner of Economic Developer of the Year was Gary Swite, an entrepreneur/business owner and board member of All Nations Trust Company (ANTCO,) who for the past 25 years been developing business and economic opportunities in the central Okanagan economy.

His varied business interests include trucking, landscaping, commercial and residential property development.