Grants and Contributions

Nathan Creek Floodplain Habitat Restoration Project, Langley BC

The overarching goal (purpose) is to support enhancements in marine safety and marine environmental protection in Canadian waters, while embracing the concepts of codevelopment and sustainable economic development. The objectives are to enhance the capacity and facilitate the participation of partners and stakeholders in support of marine safety and marine environmental protection.

Support aboriginal communities in becoming successful participants in commercial fisheries and aquaculture

Support aboriginal communities in becoming successful participants in commercial fisheries and aquaculture

Support Indigenous groups as they develop, grow and maintain aquatic resource and oceans management departments that can provide fisheries, habitat, science, and oceans related services along a watershed.

This program is an integral component of the AFS and facilitates the voluntary retirement of commercial licences and the issuance of licences to eligible Aboriginal groups in a manner that does not add to the existing fishing effort, thereby providing Aboriginal groups with much-needed employment and income.

The purpose of the Indigenous Habitat Participation Program- Grant Funding is to meet the legal obligations to support the participation of Indigenous communities in consultations on Departmental Crown conduct (i.e., decisions, such as arrangements, approvals, authorizations and permits) under the Fisheries Act and/or Species at Risk Act.

Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation (Niisaachewan) is located approximately 20 km north of the Kenora, the major service centre and tourism destination in the Northwest Ontario region. Niisaachewan’s main reserve is Dalles 38C (Dalles) consists of 3,257 hectares (8,048 acres) of land and is the main community for the Nation. Dalles is accessible by an access road that connects to Highway 658, a secondary highway maintained by the province. Dalles has an on-reserve population of approximately 173 members which accounts for approximately 35% of Niisaachewan’s total registered membership of 497 people. A large concentration of off-reserve members reside in the Kenora and Winnipeg areas.

The Dalles reserve lands consist of two large parcels of land. One parcel is the site of the main community and has road access. The second parcel is undeveloped and separated from the main reserve by the Winnipeg River and only accessible by boat. Niisaachewan currently does not have a land use or community plan in place to provide direction on land use and development activities on reserve lands.

Currently, there are no formal sidewalks or multi-use trails on Dalles reserve. As a result, the Nation is committed to constructing new trails, paths, and sidewalks throughout the reserve, but Niisaachewan does not currently have a trails network plan or strategy to help guide and prioritize this construction. The Niisaachewan Trails Network Plan and Priority Project Development will address this gap and provide the Nation with a strategy for developing their trail network.

The purpose of the Niisaachewan Trails Network Plan and Priority Project Development will be to develop a trails strategy in the Niisaachewan community, Dalles 38C. The strategy will prioritize the development of safe trail connections between key destinations on the reserve, including health facilities, school and daycare centres, commercial sites, culturally significant areas, and administrative buildings.

The main objectives of the project will be to:
- Identify community needs and priorities for active transportation infrastructure
- Develop a network map, which will identify and prioritize pedestrian and cycling connections throughout the community
- Develop a written plan that articulates the community’s vision, goals, and policy recommendations to increase active transportation, and
- Identify a priority project that Niisaachewan can construct in the next 1 to 2 years with capital funding.

The plan will also include policies designed to encourage the community to use the active transportation network and incorporate Niisaachewan culture and Anishinaabemowin (language) into the trail network. These policies will focus on wayfinding signage, amenities (e.g. benches, water fountains, bike parking), pathway lighting, and the incorporation of the Nation’s history, language, and culture into the network.

This project involves the development of a total of 12 km of raised 1.8 m wide asphalt pathways that will connect the three residential subdivisions to one another, and connect the primary residential development areas of the community to primary community services, programs, and amenities, such as the health centre, child and family services,
birthing centre, community centre, adult education centre, band office, pow wow arbour, and school. The subdivisions are situated approximately 9.5 km apart, with the remaining 2.5 km of multi-use pathway connecting to adjacent destinations such as the Amisk Cultural Centre, public beaches and recreation areas, the playgrounds, and other community facilities and amenities.

The pathway will travel adjacent to and separate from Sturgeon Lake Road to provide increased user safety. The pathway will be constructed adjacent to the ditch and along the hillside on the south side of Sturgeon Lake Road. Construction will include grading the 12 km pathway to reduce elevation changes wherever possible.

The pathway will include two four-season shelters that will be provided in case there is inclement weather while people are traveling along the pathway. Benches and garbage cans will also be provided at key locations to provide rest stops along the route. Lighting will be provided along the entire route to safely guide users along the path, and to provide additional safety and security.

The Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation Trail Development Project (MSNTDP) will explore the development of walking, running, hiking, biking, including e-bikes, horseback, etc. trails throughout the hills and valleys on the Nation. To strengthen the active transportation network within Muscowpetung First Nation, innovative ideas are being considered to increase access to transportation options. To date, ideas that are being considered include: a bike and e-bike sharing program which would include pods of bicycles that can be retrieved and returned to recognized and secure storage hubs, the opportunity to rent or borrow e-golf carts and e-scooters that are also taken and returned from community charging stations. The community would also like to encourage use of the trails during the winter months, so pods of fat-tire bikes and adult e-assist all terrain bikes are also being considered.

The project will help build community connections by creating trails that surround and lead up from the community commecial hub to the new Powwow Arbour cultural hub. The Trans Canada Trail (TCT) connects the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation commercial and cultural hubs, although at the moment this route is on the highway. The planning of a dedicated Primary Trail north and south through the community that not only improves this important link of the TCT, but also serves to connect the two hubs within their community.