Aboriginal Co-operatives in Canada - Centre for the Study of Co ...

~ C A S E S T U D I E Scarvers. That’s not true. They soon found out that we weren’t all carvers. We hire women to dosome sewing in the wintertime. We don’t mass-produce products like we used to because ittied up a lot of cash. What we do now is produce smaller items, for instance, lots of duffel bagsthat can be sold quickly.”John adds, “Right now we have quite an inventory of fabrics and skins. We’ve already gotsome ladies started on using sealskin for men’s vests and we’ll see how they turn out. [Thevests] don’t require much time and there is a demand for them. Now, with the weather turningcolder, we can go into more products such as sealskin slippers, mitts, and gloves. We also buyfinished products from the community if we think that there is a market for them.”FisheryBill manages the fishery, which operates seven days a week from the first week in July untilthe first week in September. He is the only person with the expertise to maintain the equipment,so he is on call throughout the whole season. Seven to ten fishermen are hired to net thearctic char. The fish are gutted and gilled before being flown to the fish plant and trucked in tobe weighed, washed, hung, and freeze-blasted. After freeze-blasting, they are graded accordingto size: two to four pounds, five to seven pounds, eight to ten pounds, and over ten pounds.The fish are boxed in packages of seventy-five pounds each and stored until there is enoughinventory to be shipped to the Freshwater Marketing Corporation in Winnipeg or to fill ordersfrom other communities. The Freshwater Marketing Corporation is a Crown corporation thatwas formed to market all fish caught in the Northwest Territories for export to markets inCanada and the world. Orders are filled as promptly as possible due to the high power costsassociated with plant operations. The fishery provides seasonal employment for about seventypeople in the community, including the fishermen. All age groups are hired to work at theplant, including students, as long as they can see over the sink to wash fish.HotelThe hotel has twenty-four rooms and operates a dining room geared to the needs of its hotelpatrons. There are no choices on the menu and meals may be purchased by townspeople. Thecook is encouraged to offer home-cooked meals. Country foods may be ordered by the guestsin advance and include caribou, musk ox, and arctic char. The hours of operation are 7:30 a.m.to 7:30 p.m. There is an in-house bakery that provides baked goods to the hotel and sells therest to the public. Ten people handle the cleaning, cooking, and baking in the hotel. Mostreceive on-the-job training, since few have any previous experience. No liquor is served in therestaurant in compliance with a motion banning alcoholic beverages, which is supported bylocal co-op members. A liquor license can be obtained for special occasions, for example awedding reception, in the meeting rooms.~ 295