which allowed non-Native groups to en-
ter Manitoulin Island. The Wikwemikong
did not sign the treaty, which is why their
land is now known as the Wikwemikong
Unceded Indian Reserve, meaning that
the land has not been surrendered to the
crown.
Contrary to the prediction of Sir Francis
Bond Head, a 19th-century soldier and co-
lonial administrator, the First Nation popu-
lations of Ontario have not vanished like
snow before the April sun. Instead, the
community has thrived and was even rec-
ognized as one of the Cultural Capitals of
Canada by the Department of Canadian
Heritage. On the entrepreneurial side of
things, Aboriginal-owned businesses have
sprouted up successfully, with FirstTel be-
ing one of them.
A member of the Greater Sudbury Cham-
ber of Commerce, FirstTel has served as
the community’s first link to phone servic-
es since being founded in 2003. It caters
to both residential and commercial clients.
Competitive rates and zero hidden fees
draw in residents, while businesses re-
ceive the added perks of teleconferencing
and advertising opportunities on a com-
munity WikyTV5 channel that is operated
by FirstTel for the Wikwemikong Unced-
ed Indian Reserve and the Wikwemikong
Development Commission. Although es-
“We looked at bringing FirstTel in line with the image of the industry.”
Anne Marie Sandford, communications business manager
JUNE 2016
H
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