Ontario stands to learn lessons from Cree mining communities.

After years of being seen as an obstacle to industrial growth, the Cree Nation people located near the Quebec-Ontario border have developed a way to create opportunity from organization.

The Quebec Cree Nation territory covers a vast amount of land, from the northwestern Quebec border where the Great Whale River flows into Hudson's Bay all the way south to Waswanipi Cree First Nation near Chibougamau, Que. The whole territory is divided by a numbering trap line system. Every square inch is named to an individual called the tallyman.

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"He or she is the person responsible for that area in terms of hunting, fishing and trapping," says Jack Blacksmith, chairman of the Cree Mineral Exploration Board (CMEB).

Guests are welcome, provided they ask the tallyman's permission.

Junior mining companies interested in exploring specific parcels of land will soon be able to contact the tallyman directly through a new piece of software that will be on the CMEB website in September.

The package allows companies to scan the map provided and identify the prospected land in question through the system. When the cursor passes over a specific trap line, the software will disclose the designated tallyman and the contact details.

Blacksmith says it is important to make contact since the land is, and will always be, used for traditional living. During hunting season, exploration comes to a halt. Helicopters and drill rigs are unwelcome during that time. It scares off the animals, Blacksmith says.

"Some companies understand these ideas, but there are some companies that are being a problem right now," he says.

Since the creation of the CMEB in 2002, prospecting activity has increased in and around a number of communities. Under the La Paix des Braves agreement, the CMEB's main role is to assist nine Quebec Cree communities in accessing and developing mineral exploration opportunities. Through CMEB, Cree enterprises are encouraged to access funding programs to entice exploration activity and to be the first point of contact for companies. Four members of the Cree Nation sit on the CMEB with one rep from the Quebec government.

The province has provided $300,000 annually every five years to jump start initiatives in the nine communities, Blacksmith says.

The integration of a First Nation mineral board into Ontario would be difficult for two reasons, he says. First, Ontario's community territory is not sectioned off like it is in Quebec and second, "there (are) a lot of treaties out there that are still outstanding."

There is a lack of acknowledgment on behalf of the government pertaining to First Nation rights on their territory. Struggles will only intensify until the parties realize Aboriginal communities have some say in what will happen to the land base, he says.

Even so, First Nations people do have to wait for settlement. They can develop their entrepreneurial skills and seek out junior companies interested in the area, he says.

Some communities, including the Missanabie Cree First Nation, have created synergies with Blacksmith to identify how Ontario's north can be developed.

CMEB is working with Chief Glenn Nolan to educate companies and communities on Aboriginal opportunities in the mining service and supply secto. Blacksmith suggests the fully and jointly owned Aboriginal companies be spotlighted at the next Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Conference.

Other events focusing on strengthening technical development within communities are also being discussed

www.cmeb.com

By KELLY LOUISEIZE

Northern Ontario Business