b'FUTURE GENERATIONS SCHOLARSHIPDirected 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 infrastructurePart of that long-term work, continuesIT: all the things that go along with oper- Kenequanash says that the new scholar-Kenequanash, is also the environmentalating a line. But its also regulated by theship is also helping to bring about a shift monitoring programming that were devel- Ontario Energy Board, so the whole regula- in attitudes on a broader scale. As well oping in line with the projects guiding prin- tory area is another potential area to partic- as building capacity in the energy sector ciples, to make sure were in complianceipate. Were not limiting the scholarship inand other sectors that the project brings, with those regulations. She adds thatany way to one particular area. Its what- the other thing that has happened is the down the road, the project may eventuallyever is required to operate a transmissionchange in the landscape about how we start to open up career training opportu- line at this capacity.talk about reconciliation, she says. What nities in fields beyond the energy sector are the changes that we make within the areas that the First Nations owners haventThe leaders of the projects First Nationsindustry and also within governments to yet had the chance to explore more fully. have established Guiding Principles for theenable that change? I think part of that Already, the range of education andproject to ensure the communities involvedaction and that commitment has been training categories eligible for the schol- are able to participate fully in the processdisplayed by FortisOntario and their arship is broader than one might think.of building the line, as well as operatingcommitment to this scholarship fund.The hundreds of kilometres of line, and all(and ultimately owning) it after its built. those substations, need to be maintainedToviewtheGuidingPrinciples,Getting on the Ontario power grid will and operated, Hawkes says. Theresvisitwww.wataypower.ca/ownership/ enable First Nations communities to a lot of technical jobs, support services,guiding-principles.unlock their full potential in a host of areas, powering the kind of economic and community development that could THE FIRST NATIONS OWNERS OF only be dreamed of until now. And the Future Generations Scholarship will help to ensure that remote First Nations will WATAYNIKANEYAPhave the capacity and skills to take that POWER development into their own hands.You have to make sure theres capacity North Caribou Lake Bearskin Lake Keewaywin buildingthere has to be some sort of Pikangikum Wunnumin Lake Sandy Lake training and development to get someone ready to take on these jobs. Thats what KitchenuhmaykoosibMuskrat Dam Deer Lake were looking to do in part with this Future Inninuwug Mishkeegogmang Poplar Hill Generations Scholarshipto provide North Spirit Lake for meaningful participation, explains Lac Seul McDowell Lake Kenequanash. Our people have always Slate Falls Nation Sandy Lake Wapekaka indicated they dont want to be on the Wawakapewin Kasabonika Lake Wabigoon Lake back burner, that theres a moving train Cat Lake thats coming along and they want to be Kingfisher Lake part of itnot watch it go by, but receive Ojibway Nation Sachigo Lake any kinds of benefits they can gain from of Saugeen this project.82A CCAB PUBLICATION2022'