THUNDER BAY — Hydro One plans to lay a 9-kilometre-long underwater cable to bring electricity to the Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is inviting public comment on the project as part of the Environmental Assessment process.
Hydro One has applied to place a 28-kilovolt line via a submarine cable from the north tip of Sawmill Bay on Lac des Mille Lacs to the LDML First Nation Reserve 22A1.
A barge will carry the cable onto the water.
A notice about the application states that it will provide a new supply of electricity to the First Nation as well as improve the reliability of power for customers in the Sawmill Bay area.
In a recent announcement, the First Nation's leadership said it had negotiated funding for the $2.3 million first phase of the project, and that negotiations had started regarding a second phase.
"This is another monumental step for our First Nation. We want to be able to supply our members with the best possible experience in their new homes, and this will help to ensure that our families are living in a safe and comfortable environment," the announcement stated.
LDML First Nation is governed by an elected council led by Chief White Cloud (Judy Maunula).
According to its website, flooding of reserve lands caused by the construction of dams forced members of the First Nation to abandon their homeland at various periods, most recently during the mid-1950s.
It states that most of the 600 current members "have never lived on the Reserve and are dispersed throughout Canada and the United States."
Recent development of infrastructure for the First Nation at its Lac des Mille Lacs site includes a Roundhouse, a Community Cultural Centre and residential lots.
