Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, or BON,
is in Southern Manitoba and it is located about
70 kilometers Northeast of Winnipeg.
BON has approximately 1900 citizens.
Of that there's approximately 700 citizens
who reside in the community.
The Brokenhead Ojibway Nation signed onto
the First Nations Land Management Act, in 2013,
and on December 2014 we ratified the vote.
The First Nations Land Management Act,
or FNLMA is a Federal law enacted in 1999.
It originated out of First Nations wanting to take control
of their land and resources.
All First Nations in Canada have the option
to become signatory to the FNLMA.
The FNLMA enables signatories to opt out of 34 sections of
the Indian Act that are related to land management provisions.
While the land remains with the Crown, the First Nations regain
jurisdiction to manage their own land and natural resources.
The First Nation Lands Management Act has two phases.
The first phase is to develop our Land Code
which outlines the rules as it applies to Brokenhead.
So through our developmental phase of the First Nation Lands
Management Act we've had specific partnerships
with the University of Manitoba,
the Land Advisory Board Resource Centre.
We've also had specific First Nations assist us.
And then from that Land Code once the community
has consulted on it, and then the final draft is developed.
We then go into the ratification process.
In terms of involving the community,
there were several meetings and the Code was gone through
right from start to finish, word by word,
and lots of feedback, lots of revisions,
elder participation, youth participation.
The Land Code was passed by the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation
which allowed us to then develop laws.
So the phase two which we are in right now
which is what they call Operational.
So now we are developing the Lands Authority
and from that Lands Authority we will be developing laws,
regulations and policy as it applies to Brokenhead Lands.
Under the First Nations Land Management Act
what a First Nation is required to do
is establish an Environmental Law
and a Matrimonial Real Property Law.
But it's not limited to that.
There's a listing of other laws that can be developed
and there's a mechanism of how those laws
are introduced to the community.
We have multiple Departments here
in the Brokenhead Administration that we will be consulting with
and developing laws, policies and regulations
as it relates to specific land interests.
But we have definitely been able to look at
commercial development a lot quicker and easier
given the fact that we make the decisions locally here.
We can sit down with adjacent governments and municipalities
and make decisions as fast as they can.
We've worked with the University of Manitoba,
the Faculty of Medicine.
We have quite an issue in regards to health care
costs and needs, and what we wanted to do was actually bring
the health care to the community instead of transporting them
out of the community.
We are developing and building a structure right now
that will house our new clinic.
We are looking at having three doctors in place,
a couple of nurse practitioners and we're also having
a blood clinic and our own lab within the community.
The other thing that we're working on is a grocery store
that's been badly needed over the years.
And we actually want to bring in affordable food.
The First Nations Land Management Act
has actually given us the opportunity
to bring those things within our community,
from designated land to bring in businesses
to bring in corporate offices and so forth and opportunities
to our membership, building on infrastructure -
sewer and water, roads, bridges, drainage -
all of this means work.
All of this means possibility and opportunities for the young.
I think overall the Act itself provides our community
with the opportunity to regain, revive the tradition
of management within our communities.
I look at our reserves as a land of opportunity
for our communities to become successful
and to become self-sustaining as we once were.