Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)

The Northern Tourism Recovery Incubator developed by ITAC was created to support SMEs in Northern communities to strengthen their business, rebuild Indigenous tourism operators and re-train staff members to support visitors and public health expectations as the tourism industry recovers.

The needs of these businesses were assessed through a national accreditation program (Project Rise) which provided individual business assessments and aggregated data for ongoing support. By working with the Indigenous provincial and territorial partners, ITAC supported the effective delivery of regionally specific support to revitalize operators ahead of the 2023 operating season. Regional needs were considered as businesses reported through the accreditation program, recognizing that the gaps in one part of the country may not be the same as another. This coordinated effort aimed to increase tourism revenues and jobs by increasing Indigenous tourism products to meet visitor demands.

Aerial view of the airport. Airplane taxiing to runway.

Featured Projects

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Research

How Are Skills and Jobs Evolving? Addressing the Need for a Dynamic Approach to Skillsexternal link icon

Canada’s labour market is evolving rapidly, transforming both which jobs are in demand and the skills required to perform them. Yet most approaches to forecasting labour markets either assume that skill requirements within occupations remain constant over time or rely on broadly defined skills that are too general to inform education policy or training decisions.
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Research

Unlocking Canada’s Skills Potential: The Role of Education and Training Outside the Post-Secondary Systemexternal link icon

Education and training providers operating outside Canada’s formal post-secondary system—sometimes referred to as non-post-secondary institutions (non-PSIs)—are a critical driver of workforce development. Signal49 Research, in partnership with the Future Skills Centre, is bringing the broader education and training ecosystem into focus—identifying who delivers what, to whom, and with what impact.
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Research

Environmental, Social, Governance Disclosure: SMEs and the Transition to Net Zero

Canadian SMEs produce approximately 45% of GHG emissions, but are not sufficiently equipped to engage in environmental, social, and governance issues related to reporting emissions. This report provides a contextual overview of Canadian SMEs working towards emissions compliance.
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