Ontario commits $1.3M to Matawa business development

THUNDER BAY --  First Nations communities near the proposed Ring of Fire mining development are looking to seed their economic independence through ownership of the companies that will lead their economic development..

Ontario Housing Minister Chris Ballard announced $1.3 million in pilot project funding for Matawa's nine member communities to develop their local economies at a press conference on Thursday. 

The province's commitment will provide seed money for market and business plan development alongside coaching from established corporate advisors. 

As the minister responsible for the province's six-year, $50-million Poverty Reduction Strategy, Ballard said partnerships with corporate and not-for-profit organizations constitute "outside the box" solutions for alleviating poverty in First Nations communities. 

The pilot program is so exploratory that its performance metrics are not yet defined as the ministry intends to encourage the duplication of any successful initiatives across communities.  

"Poverty in the north, poverty in Indigenous communities, is very different and it's different from community to community as well,"Ballard said. 

"What we hear in Kenora is different from what we hear in the Soo and it's different from what we hear and experience here in Thunder Bay. That's why we rely on our Indigenous partners to help us develop the programs they need. They're the experts on the ground.

"They know best how to deal with those issues of poverty within their communities. We look to them to educate us." 

Nibinamik First Nation (Summer Beaver) Chief Johnny Yellowhead said his community has been looking forward to the program's announcement for three years. 

Nibinamik is building capacity in anticipation of an historic mining boom and Yellowhead said the community's elders are insistent local ownership play a role in that development.    

"I think it's very important that our people have a say and have control in the development that's coming in our territories," he said

"That's one of the primary visions our elders had a long time ago. They knew developments were coming for our territories. They were telling us chiefs to prepare our people and try to work with the government and make them understand."