Call for new ferry will be early test of Trudeau’s pledge to First Nations

OTTAWA — An Ontario aboriginal community on an island i n the southeastern portion of Georgian Bay is in danger of losing its only link to the outside world — an aging ferry the chief of the Beausoleil First Nation says is on the verge of sinking.

Beausoleil, about 5,400 hectares of Ojibwa territory, is located primarily on Christian Island.

The picturesque First Nation — widely considered to be one of the real-life backdrops in “The Orenda,” the critically acclaimed novel by author Joseph Boyden — is dependent on the ferry, which makes its hour-long round trip to the island and back 14 times a day, seven days a week.

The service is the community’s lifeline, according to its chief Roland Monague, because it’s the only way to access the mainland.

“Our people have to cross day to day to get access to all the goods and services as well as hospitals, medical appointments,” he said.

Beausoleil First Nation is not alone in its accessibility struggle — the federal government is f acing great pressure from a number of First Nations, many in remote locations, that are struggling to address crumbling infrastructure.

Optimism is growing, however, among First Nations communities across Canada — along with a competing list of demands — now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to reform Canada’s relationship with aboriginal peoples.

The federal response on the Beausoleil ferry issue will help determine whether that commitment carries weight, Monague said.

“They promised to have a nation-to-nation relationship with First Nations,” he said. “So, tell me — if this is not approved, what is our nation-to-nation relationship?”

Federal funding for infrastructure in communities will facilitate economic development and increase access to health services and education, according to Ontario Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Isadore Day.

Beausoleil’s 65-year-old vessel — the M.V. Sandy Graham — was purchased by the government in 1998 as an interim measure to transport passengers and vehicles.

Replacing it is expected to cost $30 million, said Monague.