THUNDER BAY -- The group of First Nations communities working toward reconciliation and a shared economic future with Sioux Lookout is growing.
The four-year-old Sioux Lookout Friendship Accord welcomed Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation in a ceremony on Friday.
The community on the shores of Big Trout Lake joins Lac Seul, Cat Lake and Slate Falls first nations, the towns of Sioux Lookout and Pickle Lake as well as the First Mining Finance Corporation.
KI Chief James Cutfeet said the effort to engage his community began four years ago.
"Within the accord, there are projects that can evolve from there. Certain partners can take on, for instance, the regional distribution centre we're hoping to have based out of Sioux Lookout. That's an involvement of a couple of different partners."
The accord is designed to promote partnership and resource sharing in education, housing, social services, health, tourism, commerce, sport emergency preparedness and resource development.
Sioux Lookout Mayor Doug Lawrance estimates 70 per cent of his town’s economy relies on the economies of surrounding and remote First Nations. He described the importance of the process as existential for Sioux Lookout.
“The accord is the relationship,” Lawrance said. “It really has become our raison-d’etre.”
Lawrance conceded there’s work still to be done but dated the process back to 2002. The “Hub of the North” as a gravitational point for business and transportation among remote First Nations has maintained the population base.
It allows Sioux Lookout to make the case for infrastructure such as a new hospital built a decade ago, social housing, progressive policing, and a new high school the province has cleared for construction.
“All of this is only possible because of the northern First Nations. If they weren’t at the backbone of our community, things wouldn’t be happening in Sioux Lookout.”
For the First Nations who have been engaged in the process, the partnership represents dissolving divisive lines created over a century of colonial land-use and social policies.
"It's time everybody works together. Us First Nations people, we have no boundaries in our traditional territories. we know our traditional territoires overlap with Slate Falls, Lac Seul, Mishkeegogamang, North Caribou, everyone around us," said Cat Lake Chief Ernie Wesley.
"One of the elders who's not around anymore told me about the ripples. It's how things get started. You know how the ripples go. If we can do that in such a way, everyone will benefit."
