Matawa communities explore renewable energy

THUNDER BAY – Dependent on unreliable and increasingly expensive power, Matawa First Nations are taking the first steps in what they hope will bring clean, green energy to their communities.

The nine Northwestern Ontario First Nations communities are undertaking a renewable energy needs assessment to inform long-term energy planning, with FedNor announcing $240,000 in funding towards the project on Monday.

Jason Rasevych, the economic development manager for Matawa First Nations, said the assessment will give the leadership the tools and knowledge to rather than relying on a solution devised in Ottawa or Toronto.

“We’re looking for a made-in-Matawa approach,” Rasevych said, adding using the area’s forestry resources for biomass production or waterways for hydroelectric power are two possibilities.

“Without a project like this, our communities are in an idle position to not be able to make an informed decision because there are different options out there. This will narrow down the focus and move into the action plans we’re looking to create for the communities.”

The precarious energy situation was made evident this summer in Nibinamik First Nation when their two generators went down while a forest fire was being fought near the community, forcing the evacuation of residents to Kapuskasing.

Unreliable and expensive diesel power stymies development for many of the communities, Rasevych said.

“The blackouts in the communities affects the costs of living in the area, emergency response with health care, employment and training with the way it’s delivered, how businesses run and operate,” Rasevych said.

The assessment, which is expected to be completed in the spring, will includes workshops in the communities, gathered feedback, identifying protected areas, developing educational resources like an energy toolkit.

Matawa project coordinator Jonathan Neegan said renewable resources could be used to generate power to be sold back to the grid, furthering economic development.

The work being done in the assessment will help determine how to accomplish that while still protecting their core way of life, he added.

“There are going to be a lot of industrial opportunities coming up in the near future with the Ring of Fire, Greenstone Gold. We do have other industrial areas that require energy as well,” Neegan said.

“One of the most important steps of this renewal energy readiness assessment is to find that balance so we can actually still do our traditional activities but prosper from industrial development as well.”

Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu, who made the funding announcement at Matawa’s Thunder Bay office, said renewable energy production presents an economic opportunity for the communities.

“We know that the economy and the environment really do go hand in hand and this is very much a first step,” Hajdu said. “We’re looking forward to the plans and then we’ll be able to support communities as they have a clear direction of where they want to go.”