Predictions of a mining boom in Northwestern Ontario have been brewing for a decade or more.
With the Ring of Fire ready to roll in the next five years, and several other mines set to come on stream in the next 20 years, Fort William First Nation wants to ensure its residents are ready to capitalize.
On Monday the community, situated to Thunder Bay's south, hosted the Fort William First Nation Mining Conference, promoting its vision of becoming a mining hub for Aboriginal communities in Ontario's north and trying to forge the necessary partnerships to make it happen.
Representatives from several mining giants, including Cliff's Natural Resources and Noront, were on hand outlining their plans in the region, giving an overview of the types of jobs that will become available when the work begins.
Holly Medowegan, a 23-year-old from Aroland First Nation, was intrigued at the possibility of a career in mining.
"I'm here to just see what kind of opportunities are out there for us after we've completed our programs (at school)," she said, adding she's trying to upgrade her education ahead of the expected boom.
Coming from a community with just 325 residents, economic opportunities are few and far between for its residents, Medowegan said.
She sees the Ring of Fire and mining in general as a way to escape a life of poverty and low-income jobs.
"It can create work for us," said Medowegan, who eventually wants to become an environmental technician.
Ross Kaschkasch is a 28-year-old from Aroland First Nation.
Though soft spoken, he too would like to find meaningful work close to home.
"It's good to know what's going on and see what kind of training you need," he said, explaining why he attended Monday's conference.
"It gives us a chance to get up on our feet and start working in the mines."
Conference organizer Walter Bannon said there's just too much opportunity out there not to be prepared.
Youth awareness, getting women involved and Aboriginal training have all been highlighted in various studies as areas to work on, hence the focus of the Plan for the Future conference.
"We wanted the information (known) to the students going to school, in particular the careers that are possible in the mining industry," Bannon said.
"We thought it would be the time now, to get them prepared and look at some of the jobs."
And, he added, the sky's the limit. While there will be plenty of labour intensive jobs up for grabs, there are also a lot of management positions needed too.
"There's like little cities out there and all kinds of jobs, from technicians to engineers to accountants to geologists, you name it, besides the underground people," Bannon said.
Outgoing Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins said opening the eyes and ears of the reserve's youth is never a bad thing.
It's all about creating sustainable opportunities for their future, he said. But it has to be done with First Nation's co-operation and consent. And it will take time, he said.
"Yes, we have a lot of stuff to do to educate our members on all fronts. But if you look at all of our communities and the leadership in our communities and we know what's going on in our backyard," Collins said.
"We just want to be a part of that. What we're saying is quit extracting the resources without our participation."
It's all about hope, he added.
"I'm hoping that not only does it brighten the future of our communities, but also gives our young people the inspiration to go to school and get a good education so that they're not the guy on the shovel, they're the guy giving the on the shovel instructions."
