fishing, and trapping alive. But Wemind-
ji’s remoteness is what sets it apart, and
a community this self-reliant despite its
isolation is an achievement in itself.
The community members of Wemindji
created the Tawich Development Corpo-
ration (TDC) with this goal of self-reli-
ance and prosperity in mind. The TDC’s
mandate is to create businesses within
their own community; to create training
and employment opportunities where
they previously did not exist; and to
create a stronger community.
“Tawich Development Corporation (TDC)
was founded in 1987 with the intention
of generating economic opportunity for
the community,” says Danny Tomatuk,
VP of TDC. “The founding Chief was the
late Walter Hughboy, who was an influ-
ential leader whose leadership went
beyond the community of Wemindji. His
vision for Wemindji was to become self
sufficient by investing and he believed
that the Cree Nation of Wemindji could
lay a foundation to support the commu-
nity for generations to come through a
strong economy.”
The first business created under TDC was
Tawich Construction Inc. (TCI), which
was formed to help solve the housing
issue in the community in 1990. Through
“humble” beginnings, TCI solved two
crucial issues at the time: housing and
employment. TDC trained local workers
who could build the houses rather than
having to bring workers in. Not only did
this approach save time and money, it left
Tony Gull, President
Holly Danyluk
Chief Executive Officer
Danny Tomatuk,
VP of Corporate Relations
and Marketing
4 BUSINESS ELITE CANADA | APRIL 2019
