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.

Featured Projects

Research

Learning from One Another: A Comparative Analysis of Labour Market Needs and Skills in Northern Ontario, Yukon, and Nunavut

• September 2025
• Signal49 Research (formerly The Conference Board of Canada)

Labour markets in Northern Ontario, Yukon, and Nunavut are changing, but the pace and scale of that change are not well understood. This multi-year project provided a roadmap for governments, communities, and education and training providers to improve regional workforce readiness for existing and emerging opportunities.

• Inclusive Economy

7 Related Reports

• Research reportpdf
  Learning from One Another: Labour Markets in Northern Ontario
• Research reportPDF
  Learning from One Another: Labour Markets in Yukon
• Research reportPDF
  Learning from One Another: Labour Markets in Nunavut
• Research reportPDF
  Learning from One Another: Skills Gaps in Labour Markets in Northern Ontario, Yukon, and Nunavut
• Research reportPDF
  Learning from One Another: Building a Stronger Skills Development Landscape in Nunavut, Northern Ontario, and Yukon
• Report
  Learning from One Another: Economic and Labour Forecast for Northern Ontario, Yukon, and Nunavut
• Insights ReportPDF
  Download Insights Report

Research

Retaining Canada’s Healthcare Workforce: Keeping Talented Workers in Our Health Systems

• May 2026
• Signal49 Research (formerly The Conference Board of Canada)

Canada’s healthcare system is facing a human resource crisis. Despite investments in recruitment and training, provincial and territorial health systems are struggling to retain healthcare professionals as workers move to other provinces or leave Canada altogether.

• Inclusive Economy
• Quality of Work
• SME Adaptability

Research

Barriers and Enablers of Northern Business and Entrepreneurship

• June 2026
• Diversity Institute

We synthesized recent data on the North’s economy, and a literature review on the various barriers and enablers to entrepreneurship and businesses in the Territorial North (incl. Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut).

• Inclusive Economy

2 Related Reports

• Full research reportPDF
  Barriers and Enablers of Northern Business and Entrepreneurship
• Insights ReportPDF
  Download Insights Report

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