Ontario Birchbark

Chippewas of the Thames, Temagami and Wasauksing join six other First Nations across the country as members of the First Nations Land Management regime. “Adding more First Nations into land management will help propel much needed economic prosperity capabilities into the lives and communities of First Nations. Beneficiaries will include Canada, regional and local communities, and individual…

A team from the Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium (International) based at Western University has launched IndigiLINK, a cutting edge online Indigenous knowledge sharing platform. IndigiLINK has several unique engagement tools that allows for maximizing opportunities to collaborate between Indigenous knowledge holders, government agencies, organizations and professional and academic…

A new 67 MW-unit at Little Long Generating Station, part of the Lower Mattagami Project, is now generating clean, renewable, emissions-free electricity ahead of schedule and on budget. The project is a unique partnership between the Moose Cree First Nation and Ontario Power Generation, in which the First Nation has 25 per cent equity interest. “This project has enabled our First Nation to…

Flying Post First Nation and Red Pine Exploration Inc. have signed an agreement for the exploration and development of Red Pine’s Cayenne-Chili property located about 110 km south-west of Timmins and which falls entirely within Flying Post’s traditional territory. The agreement outlines the working relationship, which includes a responsible approach to exploration activities, outlines…

The joint panel reviewing the proposed Marathon Platinum Group Metals and Copper Mine project has revised the start date to Feb. 18 for the public hearing, following requests from various participants. The primary purpose for the hearing, which is expected to take four weeks, is for the panel to receive information to complete its environmental assessment of the project. First Nations will get…

The Chippewas of the Thames First Nation will be awarding a contract to begin upgrading its water treatment facility. Meanwhile interim upgrades, funded by the federal government, will be designed to provide a safe and reliable source of water for residents in the community. Additional upgrades will include installing a pre-treatment system that will remove the manganese and/or iron. Upon…

The Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation has been successful in defending their right to proceed to the Specific Claims Tribunal of Canada. Canada made an offer to settle the AOK First Nation’s claim without any negotiation and on a “take it or leave it” basis.  The AOK First Nation challenged Canada’s process of engagement for claims that Canada deems as “small” (claims valued at less than $3…

Roberta Della-Picca was one of 15 people to receive the Order of Ottawa in a formal ceremony at City Hall on Nov. 21. Della-Picca has devoted her lifetime to the expressive arts, health and wellness, primarily as a Aboriginal healing and wellness consultant, a designer and a facilitator, She has dedicated her professional career and numerous volunteer hours to the issues facing…

Figures are in for the 14th annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and attendance was up by 20 per cent over 2012. Areas of significant growth included the festival’s exhibition attendance, with more than 8,000 visitors at four different shows, capped by the success of the festival’s first official art crawl of contemporary Indigenous new media art. imagineNATIVE also saw an…

Through the Specific Claims Policy, the government of Canada and the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation concluded the Big Bear Creek settlement, which resolves a land dispute tied to events that took place nearly 200 years ago. A special ceremony was held to mark the conclusion of the outstanding specific land claim on Dec. 9. The First Nation approved the agreement in a vote on March 23,…

The Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians hosted a rally in Toronto on Dec. 4 at the Aboriginal and Northern Development Canada offices in opposition to federal legislation for First Nation Education. AIAI joined other First Nation organizations across Ontario in opposition to the legislation. “Canada continues to insist on ramming policies and laws down our throats, this is unacceptable…

Ontario has established the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Group in response to one of the key recommendations of the Frank Iacobucci’s report, First Nations Representation on Ontario Juries. The group will serve as a forum for the government to collaborate with Aboriginal leaders and others with knowledge of Aboriginal justice issues. The group will consider ways to improve how the…

Nishnawbe Aski Nation will seek intervener status in R. v. Kokopenace, a landmark case the Supreme Court of Canada will hear regarding the underrepresentation of First Nation people on jury rolls. “The Supreme Court will now be able to address the crisis that the Government of Ontario has put the province in with respect to the alienation of First Nations from the justice system,” said NAN…

Constance Lake First Nation has signed an exploration agreement with GTA Resources and Mining Inc. for the continued exploration on GTA’s Auden Property in northern Ontario, located within CLFN traditional territory. The agreement compensates CLFN for cultural and environmental impacts and includes the issuance of 100,000 GTA common shares on signing and the issuance of 200,000 common share…

A fire on Oct. 29 destroyed the James Street Bridge, which links Fort William First Nation to Thunder Bay. Chief Georjann Morriseau said she will be pursuing the construction of a new bridge. The James Street Bridge was also a railway bridge that a sawmill business relied on. The bridge outage will impact many offices in Fort William, including the Union of Ontario Indians satellite office,…