Bearskin Lake First Nation connects to Ontario power grid

The lights are on.

But the generators are off.

Bearskin Lake First Nation has become the fourth remote First Nation in northwestern Ontario to connect to the province's electricity grid.

In July, crews energized the section of the Wataynikaneyap Power line connecting the community to the Watay substation in Dinorwic.

'The beginning for our community'

Bearskin held a celebration in the community on Wednesday.

"I think this is the beginning for our community to aggressively pursue new projects in the future," Chief Lefty Kamenawatamin told CBC.

"So I think it's a very big ... positive for us."

The Wataynikaneyap Power project is a partnership between the utility company Fortis and 24 First Nations. It's slated to connect a total of 17 remote First Nations to the grid by the endof 2024.

The communities currently generate power using diesel generators powered by fuel that they fly into the community at tremendous cost, or truck into the community over a winter road network that is open for shorter and shorter periodsdue to climate change.

Their limited capacity to generate power has, in turn, limited their ability to grow their economies by building more facilities, and address overcrowding by building more homes.

Kamenawatamin is both excited and relieved to be able to hook up several buildings that are ready to be connected right away, he said.

"In our immediate plans, we do have more buildings, like a water plant, garage, and other public buildings office buildings that need to be constructed in the near future," he said.

"So it's a positive for us."

Wataynikaneyap CEO Margaret Kenequanash called the Bearskin connection "a major milestone" 15 years in the making, and said although Bearskin is the fourth community connected to the grid, such connections have yet to feel routine.

"It's exciting for every event that we will be doing connecting First Nations," she said.

Wataynikaneyap has been training workers from First Nations to work on the construction of the power line, and so far, it's graduated more than 600 people, Kenequanash said.

Around 200 have worked on the line, a spokesperson for the company added.

Kamenawatamin said the program has been great forBearskin Lake.

"We have a heavy equipment operator course," he said."So we had one lady here that finished that course. She's really busy. I see a positive. She's really into it."

Kenequanash said the Wataynikaneyap project is an example of the major milestones that can be achieved when governments and industries work respectfully in partnership with First Nations.