Tapped as one of the most interesting and exciting development conference in years, the Aboriginal Innovations Conference proved that innovation is the future of Aboriginal design. A year in the making, applications for the 2 day conference and ultimately the contest "The Big Idea", came from across Canada showcasing unbelievable elements of creativity and originality. In fact, narrowing it down to only 40 participants proved to be more difficult than it seemed. This is according to Dan Brant, CEO of the Dreamcatcher Foundation, who created the conference to raise money for the foundation in order to give back to Aboriginal youth and individuals applying for grants to the organization. "I've seen first hand the intelligence and resourcefulness that comes from the Aboriginal community in Canada, but this was another level of innovation.", says Brant. Creative ideas flooded the doors of the foundation, from a website devoted to selling everything Aboriginal to eco-friendly clothing lines, skate lace grippers, household tools and so on. The creativity was endless.

Based on the popular CBC television show Dragon's Den, the conference had no difficulty in finding high profiled guests including Minister Duguid, Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger, International Expert on Development Dr. Ernesto Sirolli, IBM Executive Vice President Pat Horgan and a special appearance by Hockey icon Theo Fleury to attend the event and provide inspiration.

However, there was difficulty in narrowing the participants down in each round. After a total of 9 rounds, applicants were selected based on votes from a live audience and were asked to present their idea to the elite panel of judges and investors. These included Belinda Stronach (Executive Vice Chair of Magna International), Al Mcleod (President and CEO of the Tribal Council Investments Group of Winnipeg), Dave Tuccaro (President of Tuccaro Inc of Fort McMurray, Alberta), W. Brett Wilson (President and founder of Prairie Capital Corporation of Calgary, Alberta) and Jerry Montour (CEO of Grand River Enterprises, Ohsweken Ontario). The final round provided the opportunity of a lifetime by having the chance to win financing of up to $250,000 for their program or product geared toward the Aboriginal Marketplace.

The winners were chosen on the second day of the conference at the Hamilton Convention Centre. The top 3 were:

Preston Woodhouse 1st place and won $25,000
Under Ice Crawler is a product used to save time and eliminate and / or reduce the manual labor when setting a net line underneath the ice for commercial fishermen. The “electric jigger eliminates the risk of sending humans in high risk situations where rescue is necessary and endangering their lives

Bonny Graham-Kruliki 2nd place and won $15,000
Created the Art of Preservation. Her idea is the retention of her traditional language through the use of art and designs. Having a wider application to other production processes.

Sunshine Tenasco-Brazeau 3rd place and won $10,000
Anishinabe is an owned and operated business that specializes in making baby moccasins that "Stay On, Style On, Dance On". They use only the finest traditional materials and fuse them with modern design to create the most unique and mommy friendly moccasins available. The moccasins are special in their stunning bead work and genuine buckskin which is soft to your baby's touch.

For many attendees, including Sunshine Tenasco-Brazeau, it was a life changing experience. "The Big Idea was the most exhilarating, fast paced conference that I have had the honor of attending as an entrepreneur. It gave me the opportunity to meet many successful Aboriginal business people from across Canada and make real contacts."

The Dreamcatcher Foundation hopes to create more opportunities in the future based on the success of this years event. The money raised will go towards granting wishes for the future leaders of the Aboriginal community on behalf of the foundation. For more information on The Dreamcatcher Foundation and the Aboriginal Innovations Conference please visit www.dcfund.ca

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