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FOX LAKE CREE NATION
DESCRIBED IN HISTORICAL WORKS AS THE “SWAMPY CREE”, THE “HOMEGUARD CREE”, THE “HALF-HOMEGUARD CREE”, THE “LOWLAND CREE”, AND THE “COASTAL CREE”, THESE PEOPLE ARE DISTINGUISHABLE BY THEIR RELATIVE DISTANCE TO YORK FACTORY FROM THEIR INTERIOR TRADITIONAL TERRITORY. THE CREE OF THE REGION LED A SEMI-NOMADIC LIFE HARVESTING CERTAIN GAME AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE YEAR. TODAY, THESE PEOPLE ARE COMMONLY KNOWN AS FOX LAKE CREE NATION, TATASKWEYAK (SPLIT LAKE) CREE FIRST NATION, YORK FACTORY FIRST NATION, WAR LAKE FIRST NATION AND SHAMATTAWA FIRST NATION.
IN 1947, FORMAL RECOGNITION WAS GIVEN BY CANADA AS A SEPARATE BAND, THE FOX LAKE CREE NATION WAS ONE OF TWO NEW BANDS ESTABLISHED FROM THE MAIN BODY OF THE YORK FACTORY FIRST NATION. THE FOX LAKE CREE NATION CONSIDERED THEMSELVES INDEPENDENT LONG BEFORE CANADA ACKNOWLEDGED THEM AS A SEPARATE BAND. THROUGH THE PARENT BAND, YORK FACTORY, THE FOX LAKE CREE NATION IS A SIGNATORY TO THE 1910 ADHESION TO TREATY #5.
THE FOX LAKE MEMBERS HAD TRADITIONALLY OCCUPIED LANDS ALONG THE HUDSON BAY COASTLINE AND INLAND, GRADUALLY SETTLING IN AND AROUND FOX LAKE, BIRD AND GILLAM AREAS ALONG THE HUDSON BAY RAIL LINE TO CHURCHILL. IN 1985, BIRD WAS MADE INTO RESERVE AND A HOME COMMUNITY WAS ESTABLISHED THERE. HOWEVER, THE MAJORITY OF MEMBERS CONTINUE TO RESIDE IN THE TOWN OF GILLAM AND HAVE INTEGRATED THEMSELVES INTO THE COMMUNITY. GILLAM IS LOCATED APPROXIAMTELY 1023 KILOMETERS NORTH OF WINNIPEG AND 203 AIR KILOMETERS NORTHEAST OF THOMPSON. BIRD, SITUATED ADJACENT TO THE LIMESTONE GENERATING STATION, IS LOCATED 53 KILOMETERS EAST OF THE TOWN OF GILLAM.
PRESENTLY, THERE ARE NEARLY 1000 MEMBERS OF THE FOX LAKE CREE NATION. APPROXIMATELY 500 MEMBERS LIVE IN THE COMMUNITIES OF BIRD AND GILLAM. APPROXIMATELY 350 MEMBERS RESIDE IN MANITOBA COMMUNITIES SUCH AS CHURCHILL, THOMPSON, AND WINNIPEG. APPROXIMATELY 150 MEMBERS LIVE OUTSIDE MANITOBA.
GILLAM IS A MODERN COMMUNITY WITH A RELATIVELY WELL-DEVELOPED SERVICE INDUSTRY. IT IS ACCESSIBLE BY AN ALL WEATHER GRAVEL ROAD THROUGH THOMPSON, AND BY AIR AND RAIL. WITH A LOCAL POPULATION OF SOME 1300, IT IS THE SITE OF MANITOBA HYDRO’S GENERATION NORTH HEADQUARTERS. MANITOBA HYDRO IS THE MAJOR LOCAL EMPLOYER.
THE BIRD RESERVE HAS A LOCAL POPULATION OF SOME 200. IT’S 40 PLUS HOMES AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS, CONSTRUCTED SINCE 1985, ARE HOOKED UP TO A MODERN SEWER AND WATER SYSTEM. A HIGHWAY TO GILLAM PROVIDES FOR ACCESS TO GILLAM’S AMENITIES AND SERVICES. THE RAILWAY BETWEEN GILLAM AND CHURCHILL IS ADJACENT TO THE RESERVE AND A PASSENGER TRAIN RUNS ON ALTERNATING DAYS TO GILLAM OR TO CHURCHILL.
THE FOX LAKE CREE NATION HAS THREE RESERVES LOCATED AT FOX LAKE (ATKINSON LAKE), ARMSTRONG LAKE AND BIRD TOTALLING 4300 ACRES. THEY STILL HAVE AN OUTSTANDING TREATY LAND ENTITLEMENT WITH CANADA AND MANITOBA STEMMING FROM THE ADHESION TO TREATY #5 AND THE MANITOBA NATURAL RESOURCES TRANSFER AGREEMENT, 1930.
FOX LAKE CREE NATION IS ONE OF NINETEEN FIRST NATIONS IN MANITOBA, WHO IS PARTY TO THE TREATY LAND ENTITLEMENT FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT (TLEFA), 1997 WHICH WAS NEGOTIATED BY THE TREATY LAND ENTITLEMENT COMMITTEE OF MANITOBA, PROVINCE OF MANITOBA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA. THE FOX LAKE CREE NATION HAS YET TO RATIFY THE TLEFA GIVEN CANADA’S INVOLVEMENT IN HYDRO DEVELOPMENT IN THE 1960’S.
THE FOX LAKE CREE NATION ELECTS ITS COUNCIL THROUGH ITS CUSTOMARY PRACTICE. THERE IS NO TERM OF OFFICE. THE MEMBERS FOLLOW AND APPLY UNWRITTEN CODES OF CONDUCT TO ITS ELECTED OFFICIALS. THE CURRENT COUNCIL CONSISTS OF: CHIEF RALPH BEARDY, COUNCILLOR RAYMOND MAYHAM AND COUNCILLOR IVAN MOOSE. THE ELECTED OFFICIALS OVERSEE THE OPERATION OF ALL BAND PROGRAMS WITH EACH COUNCIL MEMBER HOLDING VARIOUS PORTFOLIOS.
SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN ATTEND EITHER THE FOX LAKE SPIRITUAL SCHOOL, NURSERY TO GRADE FOUR, AT THE BIRD RESERVE OR ATTEND THE GILLAM SCHOOL, NURSERY TO SENIOR 4 (GRADE 12), IN GILLAM. THOSE IN GRADES 5 TO SENIOR 4, LIVING IN BIRD, COMMUTE DAILY FROM BIRD TO ATTEND GILLAM SCHOOL.
THE BIRD RESERVE HOMES AND BUILDINGS ARE SERVICED BY A MODERN SEWER AND WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM, LANDLINE ELECTRICAL HOOKUP, AND BY MTS TELEPHONE/INTERNET SERVICES.
FACILITIES IN BIRD INCLUDE THE BAND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES, HEALTH CENTER, SCHOOL, PUBLIC WORKS GARAGE AND FACILITIES, RECREATION CENTER AND AN OUTDOOR SKATING RINK. THE COMMUNITY HAS A CONVENIENCE STORE LOCATED IN THE RECREATION CENTER. THE NEAREST RCMP DETACHMENT IS IN GILLAM WITH THE RESERVE HAVING TWO BAND CONSTABLES. MAIL IS COLLECTED IN GILLAM AT CANADA POST. A SCHEDULED TRANSPORTATION SERVICE IS AVAILABLE MONDAY TO SATURDAY BETWEEN BIRD AND GILLAM. A RANGE OF PUBLIC WORKS, HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES, HOUSING AND EDUCATIONAL STAFF AND PROGRAMS ARE BASED IN BIRD AND PROVIDE SERVICES TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS LIVING IN BIRD AS WELL AS IN GILLAM.
THE FOX LAKE CREE NATION IS CURRENTLY CONCLUDING AN IMPACT SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT (ISA) WITH MANITOBA HYDRO AND THE PROVINCE OF MANITOBA FOR PAST ADVERSE EFFECTS, ON THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND THEY TRADITIONALLY OCCUPIED, STEMMING FROM HYDRO DEVELOPMENT IN AND AROUND THE GILLAM AREA. THE PROVISIONS OF THE ISA WILL ENABLE THE FOX LAKE CREE NATION TO BRING CLOSURE TO THE PAST AND LOOK FORWARD TO A POSITIVE FUTURE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
THEY ARE ALSO CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN NEGOTIATIONS, WITH A PROVISION FOR AN EQUITY SHARE IN OWNERSHIP, WITH MANITOBA HYDRO REGARDING THE PROPOSED GULL RAPIDS (KEEYASK) GENERATING STATION. THROUGH KEEYASK NEGOTIATIONS, FOX LAKE CREE NATION INITIATED TRAINING PROJECTS WITH VARIOUS INDUSTRIAL INDUSTRIES; MANITOBA HEAVY CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION AND INDUSTRIAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE INC. TRAINING PROGRAMS INCLUDE HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATION, SKILLED LABOUR, WAREHOUSE DISTRIBUTION AND TRANSPORTATION. THE TRAINING PROGRAMS WILL ENABLE FOX LAKE MEMBERS TO ENHANCE THEIR SKILLS IN THE LABOUR FORCE AND PREPARE THE COMMUNITY FOR ANY FUTURE HYDRO DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE VICINITY OF THE FOX LAKE TRADITIONAL TERRITORY.
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