b'TRANSMISSION PROJECTgovernments, and organizing and managing a partnership of 24 First Nationsno small feat.Hundreds of First Nations workers have been trained to Today, Kenequanash takes it all in stride.work on the Wataynikaneyap She is simply pleased to see the fruits ofTransmission Projecther labour finally paying off. Its been 14 years in the making, she says, somewhat surprised herself that the project is edging closer toward its completion.The Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project didnt happen overnight, Kenequanash explains. The initial discussions started back in 2007, when we had the discus-sions about the major challenges that our communities were facing related to diesel generators, she says. What proved particularly daunting was the projects sheer scale and scope. The land mass that the line will cover is immense, with a diverse mix of communities that inhabit itsome number just 60 residents while others have as many as 3,000. The idea got a boost when in 2014 the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) released a report that indicated a strong business case to connect the provincial electricity grid to 21 of the 25 First Nations in the region. Following several unsuccessful attempts, Wataynikaneyap Power was finally able to secure funding in 2019. The Ontario govern-ment contributed a $1.3-billion construction loan, and an additional $680 million was secured from five Canadian banks. For the 24 First Nations involved in the project, majority ownership was key and something neither they nor Kenequanash were willing to relinquish. They created Wataynikaneyap Power LP, a limited part-nership to ensure equal majority ownership in their power company. The LP owns 51 per cent with the intention of eventually increasing ownership to 100 per cent. Currently, 49 per cent is owned by FortisOntario and other private investors. The intent was to create a vision of owner-ship and to create meaningful participa-tion and involvement, Kenequanash says. An integral part of the projects success comes down to the partner Wataynikaneyap Power found in FortisOntario. Its an unprec-edented partnership, says Kenequanash. [Its about] having a partner that supports the vision of our people and enabling that work. Aboriginal BUSINESS REPORT75'