BIG TROUT LAKE – Having reliable electricity opens up many opportunities for a remote community, said Chief Donny Morris as his First Nation celebrated “energization” by the Wataynikaneyap Power transmission line.
With electricity the transmission line “brings opportunities in the future,” the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Innuniwug (KI) chief said, adding that his First Nation will “work together to produce progress moving forward.”
KI and neighbouring Wapekeka First Nation, fly-in communities northeast of Sioux Lookout, were connected to the provincial power grid by Wataynikaneyap Power last Dec. 14. A celebration took place Monday in KI.
Morris said his Treaty 9 community was “negatively impacted by frequent power outages” prior to getting hooked up to the grid.
“Access to reliable energy will lead to many improvements for our people and the community,” he said in a Watay Power news release.
“Improvements in healthcare, education, food security, and technology will no longer be constrained by the limited capacity of the diesel generators in Wapekeka,” Wapekeka Chief Brennan Sainnawap said.
Wataynikaneyap Power is majority-owned by 24 First Nations in partnership with Fortis Inc. and other private investors.
Its $1.9-billion 1,800-kilometre transmission line will ultimately connect 17 remote First Nations to the Ontario power grid, alleviating their reliance on diesel-generated electricity.
KI and Wapekeka were the ninth and 10th First Nations energized by the provincial power grid through Wataynikaneyap Power. Others have since been connected to the Watay line since December.
As of May 2024, all 17 communities have the necessary Watay Power assets, including substations and transformers, in place. Four communities are awaiting connection to Hydro One's grid and distribution system.
“It’s a major milestone that’s been in the works for at least 33 years for our First Nations to get reliable energy in their communities,” said Margaret Kenequanash, Watay Power’s chief executive officer.
So, she said, Monday’s event was “a major celebration and a major step forward.”
MPP Sol Mamakwa, whose Kiiwetinoong riding includes KI and Wapakeka, said the power project “is a model that we can follow” because it proves that “great things” can be accomplished by working together.
First Nations “need to work together on other projects,” he said.
He mentioned pharmacies, airlines, fuel companies and construction companies as examples of the kinds of businesses First Nations could collaborate on.
Through such partnerships, he said, “we become stronger as nations.”
Wataynikaneyap means “line that brings light” in Anishiniiniimowin (Oji-Cree).
Wataynikaneyap Power was founded in 2007 and appointed Kenequanash as CEO in 2017.
