Aboriginal Bond Debut Shows Way to End Resource Deadlock – Businessweek

When Deanna Hamilton returned to her British Columbia aboriginal reserve after taking early retirement, she found herself revisiting a mystery she had encountered as a child.

Unlike her reserve, the city of Kelowna across the lake didn’t suffer from foul-tasting drinking water, unlit streets or sewage-saturated lawns that discouraged children from playing outside.

In short order, Hamilton discovered an explanation in one of capitalism’s most basic tenets: Kelowna could finance its superior infrastructure by raising money in the debt markets — an option not open to her Westbank First Nation reserve.

Read more: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-06-19/after-22-years-canadas-aboriginals-issue-first-bond