b'RESEARCH DATAStrength in NumbersBy Matthew BradfordW h y t h e c o u n t r y n e e d s b e t t e r r e s e a r c h d a t a o n A b o r i g i n a l b u s i n e s s a n d c o m m u n i t i e sJ ust as culture and traditions formentrepreneurship, it regularly misses theEdinger, founder and economist with the foundation of Indigenousnuances that define the character ofBig River Analytics, a company that communities, accurate researchAboriginal businesses.delivers research solutions to Indigenous datacanlaythefoundationcommunities. You get a good idea of for future community develop- These mechanisms can often makethe basicshousing incomes, demo-ment. Whether its market data to helpAboriginal businesses appear smallergraphics, employment statusbut it Aboriginal businesses grow, economicor less sophisticated than they actuallydoesnt collect information that is specif-insights to unlock new opportunities,are, says Katarina Savic, research coor- ically relevant to individual communi-or demographic information to guidedinator with CCAB. The Procurementties. And unless those communities are communitygovernancethereisStrategy for Aboriginal Business (PSAB),collecting their own data internally, they strength in numbers. for instance, has a business registry of justare missing out.The more we can empower communi- 1,800 out of an estimated 50,000-plus ties with data, the better they will beAboriginal businesses in Canada. AndWhile Statistics Canadas Aboriginal able to assert their interests and advancethe federal governments limited poolPeople Survey is useful in filling in the prosperity and self-determination, saysof references creates an impression thatgaps, it too is limited in scope, espe-Andy Avgerinos, research coordinatorAboriginal businesses do not have thecially when it comes to pinpointing with CCAB Research, the Councilscapacity to bid on potential set-asides.on-reserve and off-reserve trends. The research arm.First Nations Information Governance Similar fault lines exist in Canadas census.Centre (FNIGC) helps by conducting It sounds fairly simple and straight- While the census provides some impor- studies with on-reserve questions about forward. In reality, however, it isnt.tant First Nations statistics, it is collectedcritical issues such as health or the labour Data from traditional sources such astoo infrequently and lacks those detailsmarket, but the results do not offer a Statistics Canada is often lacking thethat can benefit Indigenous communi- granular view of individual communities. details needed to paint a completeties. It only provides a snapshot everyCommunities are looking for commu-picture. While it can be effective infive years and only for the topics coverednity-level estimates, says Edinger. presenting a broad snapshot of Canadianwithin the census, explains HannesThey want to understand the conditions 20A CCAB PUBLICATION2019'