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CBC
24-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Treaty 1 First Nations leaders say gas bar at Naawi-Oodena will bring 'a brighter economic future'
Treaty One First Nations leaders say the new gas bar at the Naawi-Oodena development will lead to "a brighter economic future for our people," creating jobs and business opportunities at the former Kapyong Barracks site in Winnipeg. On Monday, Treaty One Development Corp. held a soft opening event for the Oodena Gas & Convenience filling station. It is set to open to the public on June 30, operating every day for 24 hours a day. "It's a symbol of hope. It's a symbol of progress. It's a symbol of a brighter economic future for our people," said Sagkeeng First Nation Chief E.J. Fontaine, who is the development company's president. The gas bar is the first business to open on the Naawi-Oodena lands, a 64-hectare area that became the largest urban reserve in Canada in 2022, when the lands were repatriated to the seven Treaty One First Nations: Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Long Plain First Nation, Peguis First Nation, Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation, Sagkeeng First Nation, Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation and Swan Lake First Nation. Fontaine said the developer recently got approval to start building a nine-storey, 260-unit apartment complex in the area. It will soon start work on a more than 1,300 square-metre retail space, he said. When completed, Naawi-Oodena — which translates to "centre of the heart and community" in Anishinaabemowin — will become Canada's largest Indigenous urban economic zone, with residential units, retail spaces, restaurants and a health hub. According to a Treaty One news release, the gas station has hired 25 staff members, with all but one being First Nations members. The vast majority of staff are from Treaty One First Nations. "The gas bar is the start of something much bigger. It's the start of an economic development that's going to have economic spin-off benefits, not only for our people, but for the entire city, the entire province," Fontaine said. The filling station is located at 1871 Taylor Ave., a nod to the year Treaty One was officially signed. Brokenhead Chief Gord Bluesky, who is also the Treaty One Nations chairperson, said Treaty One leaders have worked for two decades to see this land repatriated. Establishing the Naawi-Oodena development's first business at 1871 Taylor Ave. shows "these things are meant to be," Bluesky said. "I'm just proud to be standing here, along with my fellow leadership, here to acknowledge the hard work that the staff has done, but also the past and present leadership, the work they've done to get us to this point," he said. The land along Kenaston Boulevard had been vacant since the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, left the barracks in 2004 and moved to a base near Brandon. Dennis Meeches, former chief with Long Plain First Nation, was among the leaders who initiated the two-decade-long land claim battle. On Monday, Meeches pumped gas at the Oodena station for the first time. "It's a real blessing that we're finally here after a long drawn-out journey," he said. "I think now that we're here, people will see the true benefit of what this urban reserve will bring to the city, the province and the country." Oodena Gas & Convenience opens to the public next week. A grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony is set for July 25 to kick off the annual Anishinaabe Days event, with free food and cultural activities. Urban reserve marks historic milestone 20 years in the making 2 hours ago Duration 2:00 Naawi-Oodena is opening its first business along Taylor Avenue in Winnipeg. This is the first step in transforming the area into an economic hub led by seven First Nation communities.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Indigenous development corps. will be hit hard by N.W.T. diamond mine closures, report says
With the N.W.T.'s diamond mines facing an uncertain future, some Indigenous businesses are warning of the impact the mines' closures could have on local communities. Diamond mining brought in over $104 million in revenue to three N.W.T. Indigenous development corporations and created 355 jobs for local Indigenous people in 2023, according to a new report analyzing the impact of the diamond mines. The report was commissioned by the Det'on Cho Group of Companies, Tłįchǫ Investment Corporation, and Metcor Inc., and done by economist Graeme Clinton. The companies are the economic arms of Tłįchǫ Government, Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the North Slave Metis Alliance, respectively. Clinton found that jobs, both directly and and indirectly related to diamond mining, generated $39.6 million in income for Indigenous workers. Those jobs were spread across the communities of Yellowknife, Ndilo, Dettah, Behchoko, Whatì, Wekweeti, and Gameti. Paul Gruner, CEO of Tłı̨chǫ Investment Corporation, called the figures "alarming." Gruner said with all three N.W.T diamond mines potentially approaching closure, the financial hit could be huge. He says it is like removing the major block that Indigenous corporations rely on to continue to function. "It's kind of like having a three-legged stool. If you remove one of those do you now overcome major revenue line items and employment?" Gruner said. He said over the years, the revenue generated from mining increased the capacity of the Indigenous corporations to support other key projects and initiatives to support the communities. This includes multi-year housing projects in the Tłįchǫ region, a community freezer project by North Slave Métis Alliance and Det'on Cho Logistics' expansion into Nunavut and Saskatchewan. "I think there's been a really great deal of benefit that's been gained by the Indigenous communities and the corporations," Gruner said. Gruner said the purpose of Clinton's report is to raise awareness and engage with both territorial and federal governments to show the financial impact of the mines' closures at the community level. "It puts a face to it. It's not just a line item. These are very real people, families that put food on their table every day," Gruner said. "Now we've got something that we can bring forward to the federal government." Gruner said the territory needs to consider what its economy might look like going forward. He said that includes looking at developing new mines for base metals, precious and critical minerals, and addressing infrastructure gaps to help get those minerals to market, he said. That includes advancement of critical infrastructure like the Slave Geological Province Corridor, a $1.1-billion project that would see an all-season road built between mineral-rich areas northeast of Yellowknife and western Nunavut. The territory is currently preparing to enter the environmental assessment phase for the proposed project. Outlook isn't great Leigh-Anne Palter is the CEO of Denesoline Corporation, the economic arm of Łutsel K'e Dene First Nation. She says her community is small, remote and has already suffered at the hands of its former CEO, Ron Barlas, who was found by the N.W.T. Supreme Court last year to have "abused" his position by funnelling millions of dollars from the Denesoline Corporation. "The outlook isn't great for this community in particular," Palter said. The First Nation has about 800 members, and around 300 live in the community itself, which is on the east arm of Great Slave Lake, about 150 kilometres from Yellowknife. Lutsel K'e is one of the closest communities to the N.W.T. 's three active diamond mines and it has some form of impact benefit agreement with each one. Palter said without an active and viable mining industry or similar sort of industry to take its place, "it would be a very significant impact." She said the workers who are already trained and working in the mining industry could go elsewhere if the territory doesn't have an industry to provide opportunities to support them. That would then make it even more difficult to reconstitute a viable mining industry in the North. "We don't want to lose all the gains of past decades in terms of training people, creating good businesses to have them," Palter said. Palter says with new government policies and tax breaks aimed at propping up the territory's diamond mines, things are looking more hopeful. She also pointed to some northern MPs, including N.W.T.'s Rebecca Alty, being named to the federal cabinet. "With the election now behind us...I see those as all great signs," she said. The territorial government's decision to temporarily reduce property taxes paid by N.W.T. mines is also "very helpful," she said.
