PROUD MEMBERS OF THE KIVALLIQ CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Developing an Online Marketplace for the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce

Hosted every two years in Winnipeg by the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce, Northern Perspectives 2024 is a business and cultural showcase of Nunavut with focus on expanding the economic opportunities within Nunavut and partnership opportunities with businesses from Manitoba.

Thank you for funding and supporting opportunities for youth, artists and entrepreneurs to gain hands-on experience.

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Arts, Food Security and Cultural Entrepreneurship: Supporting Community

We completely redesigned the Chamber's web site to give it a fresh look and a huge technology upgrade.

Rejuvenating an online presence for a northern Chamber of Commerce

In 2024, the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce will celebrate its 45th anniversary. It was first incorporated in 1979 under the Societies Act as the Keewatin Chamber of Commerce.

The Kivalliq Region is the second largest administrative region of Nunavut. It consists of the portion of the mainland to the west of Hudson Bay together with Southampton Island and Coats Island. The region encompasses approximately 445,110 square kilometers, or about 80% the size of Manitoba which lies directly to the south.

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Using participatory research, emergent design, lean start-up methodologies and approaches similar to a ‘living lab’ concept, Niriqatiginnga studies northern and Manitoba and Kivalliq supply chain optimization, and pathways to cultural entrepreneurship for the food sector. 

Thanks to the support of the Manitoba Sustainable Agricultural Partnership – Indigenous Agriculture and Foods Program, and Manitoba Agriculture the project team was able to apply its online marketplace development, skills and training to real world work environments. As an outcome of the relationship development and engagement components of “Niriqatiginnga: Towards a Framework for Northern Food Systems Innovation” this project positions the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce to transform and rejuvenate the way they engage with community. 

Niriqatiginnga: Towards a Framework for Northern Food Systems Innovation

New Online Marketplace links Food Security with Creative Entrepreneurship

We’re proud to be members of the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce. As a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization, Niriqatiginnga is proud to collaborate with the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce, the Arctic Buying Company and the @1860 Winnipeg Arts collective to develop a new online marketplace and rejuvenating organizational capacity for the Chamber.. 

Working with the amazing group of artists and cultural entrepreneurs, we collaborated to build a whole new online marketplace and web platform with payment processing.

Until late January 2024, the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce web sites, social media and  communications had mostly been limited to a one-page web site and stagnant for years. It was a really depressing experience to visit their web site, and they did not even have a news page! There were no programs or services for members either, just an acknowledgement that “at present, KCC’s ability to deliver additional value to its members, and its impact upon the Kivalliq Region and Nunavut are limited by its available resources.”

The Chamber really needed some help to modernize, especially with major events like the 2024 Northern Perspectives Conference and the Kivalliq Energy Forum just around the corner. One of the ideas for Niriqatiginnga’s first phase was to explore setting up an online marketplace as part of a ‘living lab’ for Indigenous food sector entrepreneurship. This was intended to evolve to include a northern artists marketplace for those who would like to sell not just food products, but arts, crafts and maybe even furs from hunters and harvesters too. A great opportunity for component re-use.

The Chamber’s needs were perfectly aligned with what Niriqatiginnga needed to test for its Online Marketplace. It also gave the project a terrific opportunity to combine that prototype work with the training and skills they learned through previous researchcultural and digital arts entrepreneurship pilot projects. This includes their digital arts projects funded by the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse in late 2021 and 2022 and by the Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program in 2022 and 2023. 

And, even better, the new KCC online marketplace will be able to support additional activities like conference registration, corporate sponsorships, exhibition booth rentals and payment processing too. No more insecure Google forms. Check back soon. 

They are almost ready to roll it all out!

That’s what the late Mark Kalluak once told us when our adventures In the arts began back in 2010. Since then we, and our stories, have spread out across the world. Today, we’re exploring arts and cultural entrepreneurship from a different perspective — Winnipeg, Manitoba.

As dedicated members and active supporters of the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce, we take immense pride in being part of an organization that bridges the gaps between Manitoba and the vibrant Kivalliq region. For our youth, membership reflects a commitment to fostering economic development, leadership development, and sustainable community collaboration. 

By actively participating in Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce events and initiatives, we contribute to the exchange of ideas, promote local businesses, and strengthen ties with both urban and northern communities. Being a part of the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce serves as a testament to our dedication to the overall prosperity and interconnectedness of businesses in Winnipeg and the unique region of Kivalliq.

To learn more about our work, click here

Thank you for funding and supporting opportunities for youth, artists and entrepreneurs to gain hands-on experience.

We’re really excited to have our session proposal accepted for the Arctic Congress 2024 in Bodø, Norway. Our upcoming session is titled “Niriqatiginnga: Fostering Food Security and Innovation for Northern Supply Chains.”

Hosted every two years in Winnipeg, is a business and cultural showcase of Nunavut with focus on expanding the economic opportunities within Nunavut and partnership opportunities with businesses from Manitoba.

Thank You to our Partners and Supporters

We’re proud to acknowledge the support of our partners and funders who make what we do each day possible.