Sachigo Lake First Nation connects to Ontario power grid, ending reliance on diesel generators – NetNewsLedger
September 13, 2024
SACHIGO LAKE – NEWS – The Ontario government, in partnership with Wataynikaneyap (Watay) Power, a First Nations-led company comprised of 24 Indigenous communities, has made significant progress in the second phase of the Watay Power Transmission Project. This initiative, the largest Indigenous-led energy project in Ontario’s history, aims to provide clean, reliable electricity to remote First Nations communities, including Sachigo Lake First Nation. The new transmission lines will connect over 18,000 people in 16 remote communities, greatly reducing reliance on costly, diesel-powered generators.
Sachigo Lake Chief Simon Tait remarked, “On behalf of Sachigo Lake community members, including Elders, youth, and land keepers, we are so pleased to celebrate the community’s connected to the provincial power grid. With this connection, we are no longer constrained by the limits of the diesel generators.”
“As someone who has lived and worked as a nurse in remote Indigenous communities across Canada, I can attest to how critical it is to have reliable infrastructure including access to clean, affordable energy,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation. “The Watay Power Transmission Project has been a major priority during both my federal and provincial chapters, and I’m proud that our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, is unlocking unprecedented economic reconciliation opportunities for First Nations across the North.”
