Sounds like the Mushkegowuk could teach Matawa a thing or two about contributing to the greater good of all people, and not just for those who are part of the First Nations.  I hope Marten Falls finds

a trusted ally in Mushkegowuk, because so far Matawa needs to start thinking

more like their neighbours to the east.  Together their synergies could real change 

the landscape of Northern Ontario, and bring eminence prosperity to all.

 

 

 

Creating a future for our kids'

Adding upgrades to the huge Abitibi Canyon Generating Station is one of the priorities for the Taykwa Tagamou Nation (TTN), which is a part owner of the nearby Peter Sutherland Sr. Generating Station on the Abitibi River. It is one of the ways the TTN plans to ensure the prosperity the their First Nations community which has territorial treaty rights in that area.

The opening of the new hydroelectric generating plant on the Abitibi River this week marks a significant milestone for the Taykwa Tagamou Nation (TTN), formerly known as the New Post First Nation.

 

They are Mushkegowuk Cree with one reserve just west Cochrane and another reserve for hunting and trapping located near New Post Creek, close to what was once a Hudson Bay Company fur trading outpost.

Like many Aboriginal bands across Canada, in recent years they have benefited from being included in resources development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony at New Post Creek this week, Chief Dwight Sutherland told the gathered audience he remembered his grandfather telling him about the days when the huge Abitibi Canyon dam and generating station was being built in the 1930s.

The lives of the Aboriginal people who lived along the river were changed forever, he said. His grandfather was community elder Peter Sutherland Sr., a hunter and trapper who was opposed to Ontario Hydro plans back in the late 1980s to create more hydro stations along the Abitibi River.

In time, it was Peter Sutherland and several others working together who helped win a share of the wealth for the Aboriginal community.

At the time, said Dwight Sutherland, some members of the community were living in “deplorable conditions” and just managing to survive.

“Everyone was just basically on welfare,” he said.

Things changed when the Moose River / James Bay coalition was formed in the 1990s. The Aboriginal community was given a seat at the table. Their territorial treaty area was recognized and they would eventually win part ownership of the hydro project.

“We signed a grievance settlement in 2007 and out of that grievance settlement came about 1,400 megawatts of new developments which was six greenfield sites along the Abitibi River and also a couple of hundred megawatts of upgrades to Abitibi Canyon and also the Otter Rapids Generating Station,” said Sutherland.

The Taykwa Tagamou Nation is no longer in poverty said Sutherland. He said this represented a significant shift for his community, which through Coral Rapids Power, owns one third of the Peter Sutherland St. Generating Station.

“So coming from that state to creating wealth is a huge step for us,” the chief said Thursday.

He said having ownership in a major development such as the new generating station has changed the outlook and attitudes for TTN community members.

“It sort of brings a different sense of responsibility, fiscal responsibility, financial responsibility,” he explained, adding that TTN is now a member of the First Nations Finance Authority.

“We can borrow $50-million or $100-million if we want to. It opens doors, it opens opportunities, you know creating a future for our kids, for our grandkids, and generations down the road. That is something we look at,” he said.

He said his community is not going to sit around and just wait for good things to happen. He said the TTN is determined to move forward and that’s why plans are in the works for more generating station upgrades on Northern Rivers.

“We know that Pickering is going to be closing down in 2025. We also know it takes about 10 years to complete an environmental assessment, so that’s one of the things we want to start now,” he said.

Sutherland explained that the upgrade work on Abitibi Canyon and Otter Rapids could be done more quickly because those projects fall within the existing environmental footprint.

He added that old-fashioned hydroelectric power is a clean and renewable source of energy.

“It is very clean energy,” said Sutherland.

“It doesn’t harm anything here. You might see a few wires and few big buildings. But you can still see geese landing here. You still see geese in the river. They’re all over the place,” he said.

At that point, Sutherland laughed and said he if he had the chance he would set out some decoys and hunt geese that afternoon and he would be enjoying a fresh meal that evening.

He said TTN is determined to do things right and beneficial for their community.

“What I want to do is make sure this is a good development for everybody. Not just for TTN. For everybody. You know for the guy the street. So that the Ontario government will know they have a good partner. That they’ll have steady electrical power; that they can count on us to continue producing power,” said Sutherland.

“We want people to know that we’re moving ahead and that the dollars we get from all these places that we re-invest. Like in the Town of Cochrane, we do lots of investment in the Town of Cochrane,” he added.

“Just to let people know that we’re very reasonable people. That we want to move ahead too with our community. We’re moving ahead. That’s something we are very happy about and very proud of.”