Lands and Resources

Aboriginal Community Energy Plan (ACEP)

 

The TFN Lands & Resources Department has been successful in obtaining funding to develop an Aboriginal Community Energy Plan for Bear Island.   Jeff Barton of Barton Consulting has been retained to assist the TFN L&R Dept. to develop the long term community energy plan for Temagami First Nation (Bear Island). The objective is to identify ways to improve energy efficiency and reduce electricity consumption, thereby reducing costs, as well as assess the possibility for green solutions on reserve.

 

Ontario Power Generation (OPG)

 

Ontario Power Generation has a policy that deals with grievances from First Nations who were impacted by the construction of dams and other developments. Lands and Resources is exploring the possibility of entering into negotiations with OPG to settle past grievances.

 

In 2011, the OPG Board of Directors approved a revised First Nations and Métis Relations Policy, as follows:

 

 

OPG is committed to doing on-site work First Nations and Métis communities various programs, including their Employment in Training, and Corporate Citizen programs. Through the Corporate Citizen Program, OPG provides financial support to registered charities and not-for-profit, educational and community organizations whose initiatives reflect OPG’s values.

 

OPG is committed to giving back to the communities that host their facilities by investing through the Corporate Citizenship Program. OPG provides annual support to more than 1,000 grass roots not-for-profit initiatives in communities. Support is targeted to the primary areas of environment, education, and youth.

 

Gull Creek Habitat Restoration

 

History of the Site

 

Gull Creek shoal and creek mouth was once a very productive walleye spawning site on Lake Temagami, and traditionally used by the people of N’Daki Menan for hundreds of years. In the 1960’s Gull Creek was reshaped and altered into a log chute for the transportation of logs from Gull Lake to Lake Temagami, in which the entire creek including the spawning site had been destroyed. This was believed to be done by the removal of substrate and cobble from the creek bed to deepen the creek causing the channel to flow more rapidly and disperse more fine sediments downstream.

 

Restoration

 

The Gull Creek Habitat Restoration is an initiative set out by community members to restore Gull Creek and shoal back to being productive walleye spawning habitat. The initiative, which was led by project coordinator Dan Mongrain, started out in 2016 with the collaboration of Dan and Water First (formerly known to as Tin Roof Global). Water First is a charity that deals with child education on water and initiatives to help First Nations with water related projects and training. Over the course of two years, a lot of time and work has gone into the site to recreate the former spawning shoal and regenerating enough flow to keep the spawning site oxygenated enough for spawning success.

 

The TFN Lands and Resources Department has had the opportunity to assess the site, plans drafted and work completed along with collaborating with its project coordinator on the next steps for Gull Creek. This site restoration has also made work for youth in the community, along with introducing the youth to stream and spawning site restoration. The 2017 stewardship program also took youth out to work on stream rehabilitation on site. Now that the project is in its final stages post monitoring will continue to happen along with walleye regeneration initiatives at the site.

 

Mining Consultation Protocol

 

The Lands and Resources developed the TFN/TAA Consultation Protocol for Mining Activities to guide us in our relations with the mining industry, by setting out TFN/TAA’s expectations for consultation and accommodation regarding proposed mining activities within n’Daki Menan.  In 2013 the documents were developed in a collaborative process that involved our legal advisor, the TFN Lands and Resources Department staff, the TFN/TAA Chiefs and Councils and the Lands and Resources Advisory Committee.  The document was recently brought up to date and strengthened by our Lands and Resources Department and our legal advisors.

 

Highway 11 Fire and Fuel Spill at Pan Lake

 

On November 23, 2016 there was an unfortunate accident on Hwy 11 just north of Pan Lake, south of Temagami. In this event a truck carrying a load of diesel caught fire and resulted in the spillage of diesel into the soil east of the highway. Temagami First Nation Lands and Resources Department has kept up-to-date on the contamination of the site since the accident occurred.

 

TFN and the Lands and Resources Department also visited the site in April 2017 along with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the consultants dealing with the spill. Due to swift action and fortunate timing and conditions the majority of the contamination was contained within a couple hours. The site and surrounding area have been and will continue to be monitored and action regarding any needed cleanup will continue to occur.

 

 

Spring Freshet Data for Lake Temagami

 

Over the last 10 years there has been data collected by many groups regarding the water quality of Lake Temagami. Data has been collected by Temagami First Nation, Municipality of Temagami, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Temagami Lakes Association, along with other individuals and residents who care about the water quality of the lake. The sampling that is being done on a yearly basis is called Spring Phosphorous sampling or the Spring Freshet. In the spring, water samples are collected at multiple sites around the lake to test total phosphorous, and to check the water clarity. The information from the results gathered over a long period of time can display changes that then can be determined to factors effecting the water quality of the lake.

 

Phosphorous and water clarity are directly related to algae growth in a lake.  If a lake has less than 1 micrograms /L of phosphorous then there is a slim chance for large amounts algae production through the course of the year which means a lower chance of having an algae issue. If your phosphorous levels are above 10, and between 20 – 30 Micrograms/L then there is a high chance the lake could potentially be affected by algae, and possibly algae blooms. From the data gathered and collected Lake Temagami is quite a pristine lake. As seen in Table1 the total average phosphorous levels are low ranging in the 2 – 4.5 micrograms/L over the last 5 years, and seem to be staying consistent. In Table1 you can see in the year 2015 and 2017 the data shifts upwards slightly. This can be caused by many factors; from sample location, to warmer water temperatures the year the sample was taken.

 

Lands and Resources Office

 

Membership services on Bear Island are located at the Lands and Resources Office. Certificate of Indian Status (CIS) cards are issued on island by the Membership Clerk/Indian Registry Administrator. We provide on-site photos for your status cards. Two pieces of identification are required when issuing a laminated Certificate of Indian Status (CIS) card (renewal, replacement, lost/stolen). Acceptable forms of ID include: Driver’s Licence, Health Card, Birth Certificate, Firearms Licence, Provincial ID Card, Student ID Card, Certificate of Indian Status (expired less than 6 months), Nexus Card (counts as 2 pieces), Passport (counts as 2 pieces).

 

For research purposes, family tree charts are located at the TFN Library and at the TFN Membership Office located at the Lands and Resources (L&R) Office on Bear Island. Application forms for Registration on the Indian Register are available at the Membership Office (705) 237-8943 ext 201