Birdtail Sioux First Nation hoping projects will pay dividends

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This article was published 20/06/2017 (3056 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Like many First Nations communities, Birdtail Sioux First Nation is suffering the consequences of funding shortfalls.

They’re currently burning through about $20,000 more per month than they take in, after which they’re still short on meeting the community’s needs, Chief Ken Chalmers said, adding that there is currently one family with five children in a house that needs windows.

While he said that the community is plugging away “day to day,” if a handful of ambitious economic goals pan out they’ll soon be able to “start planning ahead” in earnest.

The first big step will be the opening of a gas bar/convenience store off Highway 16 in Foxwarren at some point in the near future, he said, projecting an opening date of some time this summer.

An accompanying gaming centre is expected to open shortly thereafter, at which time the centre as a whole should employ about 24 people.

They’re registering and valuing the 1,800 acres that surround a proposed two-kilometre rail spur this summer and hope to get started on its construction next year.

In the meantime, they’re getting residents trained in various trades, including between 10 and 15 people currently receiving education to assist with the installation of a Manitoba Hydro line.

The community’s company, Birdtail Inclusive, holds $3 million in contracts alongside various partner companies in Virden, for which it’s anticipated that community members will receive training to participate in various associated trades positions.

In sharing these updates, Chalmers expressed an optimism that things would continue to progress as hoped, with both area communities and industry on board with his community’s efforts.

One of these key partners is the Municipality of Russell-Binscarth, whose mayor, Len Derkach, supported this assessment.

Having met with Chalmers informally on a number of occasions, Derkach said that all communities in the area would have to work together in order to meet the potential labour demands of a potash mine that has been proposed for the area.

The mine’s proponent is still working with the province to hash out these potential plans, with everything still in the “formative stages,” but if everything pans out there are going to be huge labour force demands, he said.

Between Birdtail Sioux First Nation and nearby Waywayseecappo First Nation, there’s a “substantial population and a potential workforce that could fill some needed jobs in the area,” Derkach said.

“The young people are looking for jobs,” he said, adding that partnering with area communities and industry would be integral to finding success.

As an example, he said that a young adult applying for their first job might come across many barriers that partnerships might resolve, such as education, certification and access to a reliable vehicle to get to and from work.

“The goal is to try to improve the quality of life for all the communes in our surrounding area,” Derkach said.

Chalmers said these economic opportunities have been coming in a bit slower than he’d previously hoped.

A 2013 community referendum rejected the rail spur effort. A second referendum took place last year that resulted in a positive vote for the project, but that didn’t draw the immediate support of investors.

They’re finally coming back into the fold, “more timidly” after the initial referendum result, Chalmers said.

Confidentiality agreements mean Chalmers can’t name prospective investors at this point, but he noted that potash could be one of the rail spur’s biggest drivers, if that project comes into play.

Further to that, a Chinese investor has expressed interest in manufacturing solar panels at the site, and Chalmers said the agricultural sector might also benefit from the tax breaks they’re able to offer.

Derkach commended Chalmers’ efforts as carrying “a lot of aspirations,” and for doing a “pretty incredible job to instil in his community that the only way for them to enhance their own lifestyles and quality of life is through developing economic strategies that are going to yield benefits to the community.”

That’s the whole idea behind it, Chalmers said, adding that the overall goal behind all of these efforts has always been “to get people working and become proud of themselves.”

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

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