Northern Ont. First Nation celebrates mining agreement, water treatment plant
Biigtigong Nishnaabeg -- a northern Ontario First Nation community situated between Wawa and Thunder Bay near Highway 17 – has much to celebrate on a snowy winter Friday.
A hybrid event hosted at the reserve and online through Zoom due to inclement winter weather was attended by band members, mining and government officials.
NEW WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Unlike the 28 First Nation communities in Canada still under long-term drinking water advisories, Biigtigong Nishnaabeg has never been without clean drinking water.
However, a new raw water intake and treatment plant is being constructed on the northern Ontario territory, the First Nation announced Friday by Chief Duncan Michano and federal Indigenous services minister Patty Hajdu.
The new plant will provide a safe and reliable source of potable water for more than 168 homes and many non-residential buildings. It will be capable of meeting the community's current and future needs.
It is expected to cost about $58 million and should be operational by November 2024.
"Biigtigong Nishnaabeg is very pleased to see the beginning stages of our water project come to life," Michano said.
"It is also essential infrastructure for the future growth of our community. This project has allowed our community to secure a basic need for many generations to come."
Also sometimes known as Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation, it has 1,279 registered members as of December with 530 living on reserve.
COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT
The community has come to an agreement with Generation Mining on the Marathon palladium-copper project located nearby detailing the benefits the First Nation will receive and how the impacts will be mitigated.
"It includes commitments from the Company regarding environmental management, employment, training and education, business opportunities, social and cultural support, and financial participation," the mining company said in a news release in January.
A ratification vote was held Nov. 12 on the agreement and 251 members voted "yes," while 30 voted no.
The approval from both federal and provincial governments allowing the project to proceed was announced at the end of November.
"The government decisions validate the work done to date to develop the Marathon Project as a sustainable, environmentally sensitive, low-cost producer of critical metals that are needed to support emissions controls and the transition to a greener economy," Generation Mining said.
Jamie Levy, the CEO of Generation Mining, said the mine will supply the critical minerals needed for the electric vehicle industry, bringing jobs and prosperity to the region.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.