Communication is key, says new Ring of Fire senior director

Michael Fox’s first priority as Webequie First Nation’s newly appointed Ring of Fire senior director is to form a communications strategy.

“I think some protocols need to be in place with the Ring of Fire stakeholders and how information will flow, the format and language, so the membership themselves are informed going forward with the various projects,” Fox said Monday afternoon.

Fox, president of Fox High Impact Consulting, has an experience in community initiatives, enterprise development and government relations. As Webequie’s Ring of Fire senior director, he’ll be responsible for guiding the community through development agreements, making sure they understand all the impacts.

“Webequie is one of the primary communities and the closest community to the discovery area so their role will be pretty significant and their community’s interests, traditional activities and treaty rights will be definitely impacted,” said Fox. “They are going to be central to negotiations going forward.”

Webequie First Nation Chief Cornelius Wabasse said Fox will help them understand what opportunities are available for their community.

“To make it clear to us so we make the right decision as we move forward,” he said.

“The Ring of Fire is very important to us. Our community is not opposed to development; we need to be on the right track, to be there, to be involved in all the processes that arise from this development.”

Wabasse said Fox has been involved with Ring of Fire development from the beginning, so his knowledge in that area made him an ideal candidate for the position.