Taykwa Tagamou Nation (TTN) is a Cree First Nation located in northeastern Ontario, near Cochrane. Through its elected leadership, the Nation governs community affairs and participates in economic development initiatives and resource projects within its traditional territory.
Resource projects have transformed many Indigenous territories over the past century. Looking back, what have been the biggest consequences for communities like TTN?
The cost has always been the environment. A lot of these projects, especially hydroelectric developments, impacted our territories. The river systems were our highways, allowing us to travel and hunt throughout the year. Those developments changed our way of life and how we moved around.
First Nations weren't necessarily against development; we were voicing concerns, and those concerns were never heard. About 10 years ago, after Supreme Court victories by Indigenous communities, new legislation changed how governments and proponents engage and consult with us. Consultation is one thing, but accommodation also has to be a part of the conversation because these impacts affect our people. We still live in many of the traditional ways our parents and Elders taught us.
TTN's story is closely tied to treaties signed more than a century ago. What do you most want people to understand about that history?
What we signed in 1905 was a treaty to share the resources within our territories. Those treaties, and their interpretation, were never really followed. Our territories were rich in resources, whether hydroelectric power or mining, and over time people started ignoring what had actually been agreed to.
Back then, our teachings were passed down orally and we couldn't prove what had been said and agreed to. Then, about 15 years ago, the original treaty documents were found at Queen's University in Kingston by the commissioner who had written, word for word, what was agreed to. Those treaty diaries are where the shift really started.
How did the discovery of the treaty diaries change the way TTN approached development and its relationships with industry?
The discovery of the treaty diaries changed how governments consult with communities and involve them in projects. But at TTN, we'd signed agreements for years that were much more beneficial to companies than to our community. We wanted a different approach by building relationships with proponents and educating them on the needs of our communities.
That started about 15 years ago with a propent regarding a hydroelectric project. Even today, those agreements are okay, but I think we should have benefited more because the impacts to our territory are significant. As more mining companies came in, many were not very considerate of our culture or our territory. The Impact Benefit Agreements were often minimal and non-beneficial, so we had to be innovative in helping companies understand us and actually want to work with us. In 2019, Canada Nickel reached out, and even during COVID we were able to explain our concerns and how we wanted to participate in the Crawford Project moving forward.
TTN has spoken about being a participant in development rather than simply a consultant. What does that look like in practice?
These companies need us to be on board for these projects to happen. To build that relationship, they need to understand the community and the needs that we have, just like everybody else. We wanted to help Canada Nickel develop the Crawford Project because the low to potentially net-zero carbon aspect aligns with our values and our desire to make positive change around climate change.
We saw it as an opportunity to help develop a sustainable mine that will create jobs not only for our community but for the whole region in Ontario. Our approach is to make sure projects benefit not only Indigenous communities but the whole region because we believe we have to help build the economy in our area. We want to attract not just mining companies but doctors, nurses, teachers and other services that are lacking in Northern Ontario. We don't look at it simply as a resource benefit. It helps people raise their families here. That's why we developed an engagement protocol that sets out our expectations.
We're not looking for a handout after a project is developed; we want to be part of the whole process through training, procurement and providing services that help the company.
What conversations are you having right now that feel different, and what is still widely misunderstood about why resource development matters to First Nations?
We're looking at partnering with Hydro One Networks to expand transmission across Ontario. Along with Ontario Power Generation, we're also looking at co-planning, in partnership with Moose Cree First Nation, to develop two hydroelectric sites in the Moose River Basin. When we sit down with proponents, our approach is to be equal partners moving forward. These companies have developed models that look at equal benefits for both the company and First Nations.
We've worked a long time to get here, and there are willing partners that are really considering the model our First Nation put forward. It's about time. This should have happened years ago. A lot of people think everything is paid for us, which it's not. The resources and funding we get from the government only pay for about 25 per cent of the actual services we need for our people. We have to be very innovative in how we fill those gaps, and resource development is a large part of that.
Canada's renewed economic ambitions depend heavily on projects located on or near Indigenous territories. Do you see this primarily as an opportunity, or is there also concern that Indigenous interests could be left behind?
When we engage with government, the interests of our community are always at the forefront. At the same time, we want to participate and bring our knowledge and experiences to the table. The most important thing is to listen to our people because they've been on the land all their lives. A developer may come in having never stepped foot in the area and not know the terrain, the wildlife or even the medicines our communities use. Those are the things we have to educate people about when it comes to development.
My community has always had an interest in participating in development. It’s one thing for these opportunities to be announced, but it’s our time to take advantage of those opportunities to benefit our First Nations. It's not going to be Canada or Ontario that builds our economy. It's going to be our own First Nation making sure our people are taken care of. It's our time to take advantage of these opportunities and benefit our First Nations.
What principles matter most to TTN, and what do you hope future generations will say about the decisions being made today?
The defining quality within our community is trust. People have to follow through on their promises and the statements they make. Over the years, people have said a lot of things and never followed through, and those experiences shaped our community. Being able to trust somebody is probably the most important aspect for us.
I hope future generations are proud of the decisions we're making today because the world is not going to stay like this. With the changes that are coming, especially around climate change, we have to be prepared for the next seven generations and make sure they're taken care of. We can't depend on anybody else but ourselves. My grandfather, back in 1940, was approached by a forestry company about cutting trees on our territory, and he started changing how Indigenous people participate in resource extraction by creating a trust fund for our community. We want to continue that legacy by making sure we're taking care of future generations. At the same time, it's all about relationships. Companies should get to know Indigenous communities and understand where they came from. Before colonization, we were very healthy and happy people. It was colonization that caused our people to struggle because of what was forced on us. They tried to take the Indian out of us for a hundred years, and it never worked because we're still here. We're still practising our traditional activities and our culture. That's the message people need to understand: where we came from, how we got here and where we're going.
