Aboriginal students from all over Canada showcase their entrepreneurial savvy

25 schools qualify to attend BDC's E-Spirit competition finals in Winnipeg

MONTREAL, March 28, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) congratulates the 25 Canadian schools whose students qualified to attend the twelfth E-Spirit national gathering in Winnipeg, Manitoba, May 15-17, 2012.

"Over the past decade, BDC's E-Spirit competition has tapped into the entrepreneurial spirit of Aboriginal students and equipped them with the tools and resources needed to develop a business," said Wilson Neapew, National Director, Aboriginal Banking Unit, at BDC. "Whether it's to develop solutions that benefit their local communities or even consider a business degree for the first time, students who participate in E-Spirit will always benefit from this new set of entrepreneurial skills."

Aimed at Aboriginal youth in grades 10 to 12, E-Spirit is a 16 week business plan competition conducted online which is designed to increase student awareness of technology and e-commerce, and to foster entrepreneurial know-how. BDC's E-Spirit provides participating students with interactive business planning resources, online access to mentoring and extensive student networking opportunities via the web and in person.

The following schools qualified to travel to Winnipeg and attend the BDC E-Spirit business plan competition finals:

British Columbia
A.L. Fortune High School (Enderby)
Four Directions Storefront School (Kamloops)
GM Dawson Secondary School (Masset)
Pleasant Valley Secondary (Armstrong)
Salmon Arm Secondary (Sullivan Campus) (Salmon Arm)
Stein Valley Nlakapamux School (Lytton)
The First Nations High School (Hazelton)
W.L. Seaton Secondary School (Vernon)
Zeballos Elementary Secondary (Zeballos)

Alberta
Canmore Collegiate High School (Canmore)

Northwest Territories
Mangilaluk School (Tuktoyaktuk)

Nunavut
John Arnalukjuak School (Arviat)
Sakku School (Coral Harbour)

Manitoba
Children of the Earth High School (Winnipeg)
Sisler High School (Winnipeg)

Ontario
Waawaasnode Learning Centre (Massey)
Wasse Abin High School (Wikwemikong)

Quebec
Kitigan Zibi Kikinamadinan (Maniwaki)
Manikanetish (Sept-Îles)
École Monseigneur-Labrie (Havre-Saint-Pierre)

Nova Scotia
Central Kings Rural High School (Cambridge)
Sydney Academy (Sydney)
Wagmatcook School (Wagmatcook)

Newfoundland and Labrador
Lake Melville School (North West River)

New Brunswick
Southern Victoria High School (Perth-Andover)

About BDC
Canada's business development bank, BDC, puts entrepreneurs first. With almost 1,900 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers financing, subordinate financing, venture capital and consulting services to 29,000 small and medium-sized companies. Their success is vital to Canada's economic prosperity.

Maria Constantinescu
Advisor, Public Relations, BDC
514 496-7146
[email protected]