Long Lake #58 First Nation

About this Nation

Long Lake #58 First Nation (LL58) is located on Highway 11 along the northeast shore of Long Lake and adjacent to the municipality of Longlac. LL58 has been located on one square mile of land since 1905 and sits within the geographic boundaries of the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850.The community has not signed a treaty with the crown. The community has faced many changes to their land with the expropriation in favour of the development of the Canadian National Railway and the Trans-Canada highway. LL58 has a registered membership of 1,400 people, with 450members living in the community.

Food Sovereignty Visions

PROJECT 2b

• Expansion of Long Lake General Store Northern Ontario Heritage Grant: Based on results from the Pre-Feasibility study completed in phase 2a of the project the community wanted to further pursue funding options for the completion of a business plan and class c estimates for the expansion of the general store. The project team hired a consultant of choice from the community to write phase one and two applications to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to bund this. Applications have been submitted and it will take 90 days for an official response. Both the community and project team are hopeful for the grant’s success and are looking forward back to hearing from NOHFC.
• Support for Migizi Miigwanan Secondary School Land-Based Program: In phase 2a of the project the project team meet with Migizi Miigwanan Secondary School Principal and Education Councilor, where the project team learned about the extensive land-based learning in collaboration with educators and elders. Secondary school young adults are taken on the land and taught about land-based learning, much of this learning focuses around hunting, gathering, preparing and storing food and medicines. In phase 2b of the project the project team had conversations with the principal and some supports that the land-based program and it was determined that the program was lacking funding for some key items and supplies that were needed for certain land-based activities. The project purchased two prospectors’ tents and a number of hunting a trapping gear for the program. The project team is planning a visit into the community early in 2020 to learn more about the program and how support can be provided.

PROJECT 2a

• Expansion of Long Lake General Store Pre-Feasibility Study: The community has a very successful gas station and general store located along the highway 11 corridor, there has been discussions for expansion into a full-blown grocery store for year but there had never been any movement on the idea. Through the Understanding Our Food Systems phase 2a project the community choose to conduct a pre-feasibility study with a consultant known for their work on reserve grocery stores. The Pre-Feasibility study proved to be a successful venture as the study alluded to the full feasibility for the grocery store expansion to happen. The project team met with the Long Lake 58 General Store Board of Directors in the summer of 2019 to conduct a presentation as ask for board approval to move forward to the next stage of funding for business plan and class C estimates to be conducted, the board approved and the community is committed to the work ahead.
• School and Day Care Garden: Through the Understanding Our Food Systems connecting partners the project team had met with both the school and the day care to discuss their idea of a shared community garden for the summer of 2019. There had been a garden in previous years hosted by the school but once the teachers were off on summer holidays the maintenance of the garden faltered. The day care which is located adjacent to the school is in operation during the summer months and was interested in starting their own garden, once the project team heard this they knew there was the potential for a collaboration to happen. Due to the fact a sister First Nation (Ginnogaming) was receiving a visit from Roots to Harvest the Long Lake General Store offered to pay for Roots to Harvest’s time to come into the community and assist with the school and day care collaboration. The collaboration worked and the garden was a success for the 2019 summer, staff-built water cisterns and propped them up for easy access, kids from both the days care and the school helped with the planting, arts projects around the garden and watering and weeding of the garden. The harvest was shared among both groups and there is a plan to do the same thing in the 2020 summer.