The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report: Fostering entrepreneurship in the North

The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report details a two-day workshop held in March 2009 at the University of Saskatchewan. The event brought together Northern entrepreneurs, leaders, and academics to identify the unique challenges and opportunities of operating businesses in the North and to develop a specialized educational curriculum for Northern entrepreneurs.

• The workshop participants defined a 'northern entrepreneur' as a self-identified northerner whose identity is shaped by geography, community context, and social fabric. Such entrepreneurs are characterized as being 'dynamic out of necessity' and more likely to operate within co-operatives. A critical requirement for their success is 'intercultural competence' due to the need to conduct business with southern urban regions.
• Northern entrepreneurs benefit from specific regional advantages, including limited competition, the ability to provide essential services to communities, a rich cultural heritage, and economic opportunities arising from a strong government presence. The social fabric of Northern communities also facilitates strong community buy-in for local initiatives.
• Significant barriers to Northern entrepreneurship include a small and segmented consumer base, high costs and inconsistencies in importing supplies, and a lack of infrastructure. Additionally, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) struggle to compete with the public and private sectors for labor, as the latter can offer higher salaries and greater job security.
• There is a noted gap in support services where start-up capital is readily available through government programs, but 'after care' or support for maintaining a business once established is largely nonexistent.
• The workshop proposed a specialized curriculum for Northern entrepreneurs consisting of eight essential courses: Community Economic Development of the North, History of Northern Entrepreneurship, Cultural Competencies, Northern regulations, legislation and policies, Marketing and Communications, Human Resource Management for Entrepreneurial Organizations, Accounting for Entrepreneurs, and Entrepreneurial Finance.
• The proposed learning objectives for a Northern Entrepreneurship Program emphasize that students should be able to navigate the local business environment, translate traditional northern values into business practices, and develop intercultural competencies to work with southern businesses.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report: Fostering entrepreneurship in the North. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/northern_workshop_2009.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report: Fostering entrepreneurship in the North. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/northern_workshop_2009.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title= The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report: Fostering entrepreneurship in the North |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/northern_workshop_2009.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndnorthern, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{ The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report: Fostering entrepreneurship in the North}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/northern_workshop_2009.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }