Jacinta Wiebe

Jacinta Wiebe is a retired professor in the Faculty of Business at the University College of
the North. She became involved with MAFRA through Dr. Shirley Thompson and then Stephane
McLachlan. Her research centers on the Corporate First Nation business environment. The
particular topics include economic development and businesses social, political and economic
effects and how this translates into food availability in the community. Some of the issues she
intends to examine are the beneficial effects of Aboriginal business development and how it
impacts positively on food programs significantly and local food security, and whether healthier
food is more available because of this development.

She began working with food security in 2001 when she designed the Northern Healthy
Foods Initiative for Manitoba and has continued to be involved with development and the
advancement of food security of the North. She hopes for Aboriginal youth to be given the support
to participate in their food security programs and other development issues. It is important to
promote messages of self healing in order to take their place as leaders and doers of great
prosperity.