Algonquins sign deal on culture

Windmill Development has signed an agreement with the Algonquins of Ontario to preserve and promote Algonquin culture in the massive Zibi development on former Domtar lands in and on the Ottawa River.

The announcement further cements a division among Algonquin communities about the $1.2-billion project on land many consider sacred. Five Algonquin communities in Quebec oppose the development, which is named after the Algonquin word for river, and a handful of individuals, mostly non-Algonquin, are fighting before the Ontario Municipal Board.

Windmill already had an agreement to work with one Ontario Algonquin band, Pikwakanagan.

The agreement with Algonquins of Ontario brings nine other groups and communities into the agreement.

Algonquins of Ontario is negotiating with the federal and Ontario governments to reach a settlement of the Algonquin land claim in Eastern Ontario. An agreement in principle has been reached.

Windmill, as part of the agreement with the Algonquins of Ontario, has acknowledged the land along the Ottawa River has never been ceded.

The company said it is working in partnership with the group to “establish several initiatives to pay respect to the Algonquin history and create opportunities for the Algonquin people.”

Strategies include hiring aboriginal tradespeople to work on the development and generating business opportunities, creating mentorship programs and having public artwork, and incorporating signs and design elements that reflect Algonquin history.