BNA is currently working with two other new-build First Nations – Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek and Lac Des Mille Lacs – on a joint Nation Re-Building pilot project. All 3 First Nations have been displaced, flooded out and forgotten, and are looking for new and innovative ways to rebuild their lands. The communities have been working with Northern Policy Institute, Carleton University and the First Nations Finance Authority (FNFA) to move our collective agenda forward. Initiatives that have been explored include monetization, enhanced economic development funding, and a joint urban reserve, to name a few.  

What will come from this joint exploratory work is unknown at this time. We are in the process of working towards a meeting with federal ministers to discuss our ideas for development. What is known is that the current system does not work for new-build communities, who are forced to compete with established First Nations that have their communities already developed. This needs to change, and we hope that the work of our 3 communities will assist in making this change happen.