b'FUTURE GENERATIONS SCHOLARSHIPownedby24OntarioFirstNationsOf course, theres the transmission lineApplicants must also answer two short through a limited partnership, explainsthat were going to leave behind, butessay questions, provide a letter of that the projects First Nations ownerswe want to leave something more forsupport from their First Nations leader-have been determined from the startfuture generations. ship or an academic or industry reference, to make the most of that education andand include their resume. Scholarship training potential.A committee of experts has been formedapplicants can fill out the form in English to look at applications and pick the recip- or in their own language. A link to When we started this project, part ofient. At press time, the scholarship wasthe application form can be found at the directive for what we call Meaningfulstill in the promotional phase of its firstwww.wataypower.ca/project/scholarships.Participation and Involvement was to lookiteration, with project partners seeking at community readiness through employ- as many applicants as possible ahead ofWhat educational areas are included in ment training, says Kenequanash, onethe August 31, 2022 deadline. The firstthe scope of the scholarship? Were of the project owners (see sidebar) andrecipient is expected to be announcedtransitioning into operations and main-a member of North Caribou Lake Firstin September.tenance, dealing with the control room Nation, one of the communities that isand managing the lines, making sure going to be hooked up.theyre runningtheres a lot of oppor-To be considered for the scholarship atunities that our people could pursue, An all-encompassing training programstudent must: Kenequanash says. has been developed by the Opiikapawiin team [Opiikapawiin Services administersbe enrolled in a post-secondary orprograms for the project]. The trainingtrade program, with a minimum ofLONG-TERM THINKINGalso integrates the Indigenous perspec- two years remaining in their studies;The Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project tiveteachings on the land, survivalwill reinforce the existing outdated power skills, things that our people need to gobeamemberofoneofthe grid to Pickle Lake and build new lines back to and learn about pertaining toWataynikaneyap Power Projectsnorth of Pickle Lake and Red Lake to the land and language. 24 First Nations owners; diesel-reliant communitiesa total of FUTURE GENERATIONS 1,800 kilometres of transmission line plus be interested in pursuing a career in22 substations and switching stations.Those education and training benefits gotthe Ontario energy sector; anda huge boost this past June on IndigenousThe projects First Nations owners hold Peoples Day when Wataynikaneyap Powerrespectthevaluesofthea 51-per-cent majority interest as things and FortisOntario jointly announced thestand right now. But 25 years after $10,000 Future Generations Scholarship.Wataynikaneyap Power Project andthe transmission line is completed in FortisOntario is an electric utility subsidiarytheProjectsGuidingPrinciples2024, they will have the option to buy of energy giant Fortis Inc. and was broughtand be willing to champion theout the other investors and become in to manage the project. The companyWataynikaneyap Power Project in100-per-cent owners.owns 49 per cent of Wataynikaneyappublic forums.Power, along with some private investors. 21168_CAAB_QtrHorizontal_4.583x3.333_FINAL_HQCROPBLEED.pdf 1 12/9/2021 11:56:41 AMDirected at youth in the 24 owner First Nations, the scholarship will be awarded annually to a student engaged in training and education in a field related to the construction, operation and maintenance of power transmission infrastructure. The funds will be disbursed in two instalments of $5,000 each over a period of two years. FortisOntario is providing the funding for the scholarship.We see our responsibilities as partners to try to find opportunities for First Nations, and in particular First Nations youth, who wed really like to see involved in this project, involved in the energy sector, says Scott Hawkes, president and CEO of FortisOntario. As we spent time with our partners, we talked to people like our Elder advisors on the project, and china-gatamaageyeg [Anishinaabemowin for to leave something behind for others] was a principle we wanted to embrace. Aboriginal BUSINESS REPORT81'