Anishinabeg
kebaowek
Kebaowek First Nation
The ancestors of Kebaowek First Nation were nomadic and covered a large territory: in Ontario, from Kirkland Lake to North Bay, and from North Bay to the vicinity of Pembroke. In Quebec, the territory they used stretched as far as Rouyn-Noranda, and southern Témiscamingue, as far as Lake Dumoine. Their direct ancestors originated from the area of Lake Brennon, Mattawa and Wolf Lake. They came from Grand Lac Victoria, Quebec, and Dewdney Lake, Ontario, and were very much involved in trade with the Hudson’s Bay Company. Over the years, they settled near Kipawa, Wolf Lake and Grassy Lake, then at Hunter’s Point.
In 1974-1975, everyone moved from Hunter’s Point to the newly created reserve. In 2015, the name was changed back to Kebaowek First Nation at the request of many members. Today, Kebaowek First Nation is a proud member of the Algonquin Anishnabeg Nation. This beautiful community, 20.9 hectares in size, is located on the southern shore of Lake Kipawa. As of 2022, approximately 25% of KFN’s 1,136 citizens reside in Kebaowek. Many KFN citizens reside in North Bay, in Temiscaming, and in other locations in Quebec and Ontario. Kebaowek First Nation citizens are still fighting to get their land back and ensure a future for their children, while exercising their full self-determination.
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What was the
starting point
of the CCP?
Photo: Radio-Canada / Tanya Neveu
Back in 2016, the FNQLSDI launched a call for proposals for a Comprehensive Community Planning (CCP) pilot project. Kebaowek First Nation applied and secured funding for an initial two years, through a joint effort of the Land Management and the Economic Development departments, with support from Chief and Council.
A strategic planning exercise had just been completed for leadership, and there was a general feeling that Kebaowek was ready to start a community-based planning process that could help grow the community.
How did the planning process move forward?
The Economic Development Officer initially acted as CCP Coordinator, holding a first community meeting in the fall of 2016. The goals of the meeting were to present the concept of CCP and why KFN was engaging in the process, explore the benefits of doing a CCP, clarify how the process would be transparent, invite community members to be part of the planning team, and most importantly, explain to everyone that this plan would be done and owned by the community for the community. Approximately 30-35 people participated and 11 of those signed up to be a part of the planning team. The groundwork was laid for a communication strategy, to keep KFN members informed and engaged: a CCP section was added to the website, a CCP Facebook group was created, articles went out in the community newsletter, and the Chief wrote about CCP in his community messages. Initial meetings were held with the newly formed planning team, to discuss their mandate and terms of reference.
It quickly became apparent that coordinating the planning process was a full-time job. Chief and Council decided to hire a CCP Coordinator, who would be supervised by the Economic Development Officer, to benefit from his experience and facilitate the transition. The new CCP Coordinator was hired in 2017 and brought with her extensive knowledge of KFN and experience with community engagement.
After taking some time to familiarize herself with CCP, the Coordinator focused on strengthening communications with the community through new information tools and participation in most community events. She created a first questionnaire, with the objective of including as many off-reserve members as possible. The questionnaire and the first community engagements were crucial to learn what the community priorities were, what was foremost in their vision. Attendance grew with every CCP event, some events drawing as many at 100 members, more than 30% of the community’s local population. In 2018-2019, together with the planning team, she organized more community gatherings, information sessions, workshops, and small focus groups, piggybacking off other programs to keep people’s interest high.
In 2020, all the information collected was analyzed and given back to community members for validation, making sure that the community’s priorities had been correctly identified. It was done in four parts, using questionnaires. The final responses were compiled, analyzed, and made available to community members. This validated information will be used to feed the final CCP manual.
What changes
did CCP
bring in Kebaowek?
A strategic planning exercise had just been completed for leadership, and there was a general feeling that Kebaowek was ready to start a community-based planning process that could help grow the community.
Here are some exemples :
Following the community’s vision, even if the final plan isn’t fully written yet, the planning team and the administration were able to implement certain actions identified as priorities
Multiple projects have been completed or are underway to increase own-source revenue and ensure sustainability. For example, the construction and launch of a new marina is a key component of Kebaowek First Nation’s tourism strategy. A sugar bush project is also in the early stages of development, and KFN continues to be involved in the operation and management of Opemican National Park.
the cultural centre project is developed with a local steering committee and includes multiple community engagement activities.
Recognizing that KFN citizens have made it their highest priority, a cultural coordinator was hired to develop programs and services around culture and language, especially for youth and Elders. A language coordinator will potentially be hired soon. The CCP team also worked closely with Minwashin’s team to organize the 2019 edition of MIAJA, a gathering to honour the Anicinabe language.
This is one of the community’s top priorities, which manifests through the creation of a new eco-centre and participation in environmental assessments to ensure land and waters are protected for generations to come.
The data collected through community engagement was shared with the administration, to help programs and services better reflect citizens’ priorities. Communication training was provided to KFN staff and managers, to foster increased trust and efficiency.
Through collaborating and moving through the planning process, people realized that taking care of each other and learning to care about one another are key elements in maintaining strong connections.
The CCP team supported the local youth, children and Elders who collaborated to create the 18 books of KFN’s trilingual book collection. Created in three phases, the books are an opportunity for generations to learn from and with each other, and to support language revitalization.
New housing options are developed to provide housing for Elders, as well as private lots and houses for families who want to live in the community.
The CCP team supported the creation of the new community radio station, organizing a contest to identify the name of the new station. There’s been a lot of collaboration with the station’s team, to inform KFN citizens of the CCP process and upcoming activities (workshops, focus groups, etc.).
«The CCP process really brought us together, it brought us closer. I didn’t know where my family was from until I read the research! In the end, the planning process created opportunities for us to understand who we are, where we came from, our connections to one another and to our land.»
What are the next
steps?
At this point, the next step is the finalization of the CCP manual, the written version of the completed plan. The manual will be a working, living document. Once the plan is published, the CCP team will l hold a celebration to present the manual to the community, and every household will receive a printed copy. All KFN administrative departments will also receive a copy as a reference document, so that they can align their strategic plans with the CCP, with support from Chief and Council. We’ll be looking at strategies to ensure departments have the information they need to keep implementing the CCP and rooting their action in the community’s vision.
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