THUNDER BAY — A ninth First Nations community has joined a new power line partnership in Northwestern Ontario.
On Friday, Lac des Milles Lacs First Nation signed the equity agreement to join the Waasigan Transmission Line project. The community joins eight others, represented by the Gwayakocchigewin Limited Partnership, that earlier this fall signed an equity agreement with Hydro One, which includes a 50 per cent ownership sharing model between the utility and the First Nations partners for the development and long-term operations of the project.
"This is an outstanding example of what industry and First Nations can accomplish when they work together. We look forward to a successful partnership on this project and to continuing our respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with Hydro One into the future," Lac des Milles Lacs First Nation Chief Whitecloud said in a written statement.
The Waasigan project proposes a new double-circuit line connecting the Lakehead transformer station east of Thunder Bay to the Mackenzie transformer station in Atikokan, with a new single-circuit line between the Mackenzie station and the Dryden transformer station.
Penny Favel, Hydro One's vice president of Indigenous relations, said it's important to have Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation join the partnership.
"The project itself is going to be built with input from the nation that is involved. Not just on the equity, but in the planning and the regulatory process, their input in how we can make the project better," Favel said.
"That is significant because so few other infrastructure projects in Canada haven’t had that opportunity to actually have Indigenous communities, including Lac de Mille Lacs, giving that sort of insight and support to make sure that our regulatory work including our environment work is done properly.”
Favel said partnership includes more than the shared the economic benefits, which include Indigenous knowledge that can have a part in the regulatory and environmental assessment processes.
“It literally improves the project every step of the way. From planning the route and including things like traditional knowledge, it makes the project better,” Favel said.
The project still requires stakeholder consultation and regulatory approval to move forward.
