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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.