"Nestled in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, the 470-person Osoyoos Indian Band, led by Chief Clarence Louie, is providing a telling answer to the question of how best to create jobs. Policymakers in Washington, D.C., and other national capitals around the globe are well-advised to pay heed.

Enterprise is the tribe's middle name, and Chief Louie has been adamant about relying on that private-sector recipe to foster economic well-being. Unemployment is running in the low single digits versus 8.3 percent here in the United States. On average, joblessness among Indian tribes in North America, which subsist largely on government welfare payments beyond any gaming and resort operations, averages over 20 percent and runs as high as 80 percent on certain reservations. By contrast, all Osoyoos who want to be employed in the band's businesses have that opportunity."

Get the Story:
Mark A. Zupan: The Osoyoos' lesson for us all on job creation (The Rochester Business Journal 2/17)

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