Building stronger Indigenous-owned and operated businesses together – Anishinabek News
December 5, 2025
THUNDER BAY — A group of Anishinabek presenters and panellists recently highlighted their initiatives at the 11th Annual Northern Ontario Tourism Summit, held Nov. 25-27 at the Valhalla Hotel and Conference Centre in Thunder Bay. Indigenous Tourism Ontario’s Steven Debassige and Mississauga First Nation’s Jon Cada delivered the Indigenous Tourism Ontario presentation, and Debassige, Anishinaabe Wild Rice Experience owner Rhonda Leclair, and Anishinabek Nation’s Economic Project Coordinator Fitzgerald Reid were among the panellists during the Connecting Pathways: Advancing the Northern Ontario Indigenous Tourism Corridor panel discussion.
“What we are doing is building stronger Indigenous-owned and operated businesses with integrity and authenticity,” says Debassige, cultural integrity lead at Indigenous Tourism Ontario. “I’m going to talk a little bit about Indigenous storytelling, the power of, that’s my story.”
