Mi’kmaw Economic Benefits Office (MEBO), Membertou, NS

The Mi’kmaw Economic Benefits Office (MEBO) has had great success in creating partnerships with large industry across Nova Scotia and in doing so identify both employment and business opportunities for local Aboriginals. MEBO works to prepare and support both individuals and Aboriginal businesses to be part of these opportunities. The Benefits Office will help industry find the workers they need through promotion and recruitment efforts and provide training when necessary. MEBO serves all five First Nation communities in Cape Breton (Unama’ki) and takes a collaborative and business approach to employment and business opportunities with large industry in the region.
MEBO was originally known as the Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office and was established in 2007 to ensure meaningful Aboriginal participation in the $400 million Sydney Tar Ponds Cleanup Project. With great effort from all involved, local Aboriginals were truly engaged in this project. It is this experience that lead to what some now call a very successful Aboriginal economic development model, the “Unama’ki Model”. This success soon lead to the Benefits Office being able to leverage several millions of dollars in funding specifically for training. This training complimented the great efforts of the office in engaging industry, understanding the opportunities and needs and engaging, informing the Unama’ki communities.