jobs and training.”
An example of a successful working part-
nership in action, Fontaine points to the
MooseCree First Nation andOntario Power
Generation—the largest First Nation-utility
partnership of its kind. A long play on sus-
tainable energy infrastructure in Canada’s
North, the Lower Mattagami River Hydro-
electric Complex is a $2.6-billion project
that was formed after consultations with
First Nations on whose traditional lands
the project would impact. Moose Cree Na-
tion owns a 25 per cent stake in the proj-
ect, a significant equity position.
The project is the embodiment of evolu-
tion of these kinds of agreements. Fifty
years ago, the dam was built on Moose
Cree lands and treaty rights were ignored.
When the OPG started to open dialogues,
they were deemed not to be mutually ben-
eficial by the Moose Cree. It was finally in
2005, after extensive consultation—a cen-
tral part of which included reconciliation—
a deal was struck that not only meet le-
gal obligations, but that ensured the First
Nation was heard and their concerns re-
sponded to.
“Although my company was not involved
in the Moose Cree-OPG project, I believe
it stands as a good model for both First
Nations and industry to look at and learn
from. Today, it’s a losing proposition for in-
dustry to take any other approach,” says
MARCH 2017
H
business elite canada
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