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Canadian Rural Partnership
January 23-24, 2001
Chapleau, Ontario
Acrobat Portable Document Format (.pdf)
AAFC #2080/B
Cat.No.A21-47/5-2001
ISBN 0-662-65848-5
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Overview of Major Themes
ANNEX A - Northern Ontario Rural Team Representatives
ANNEX B — Community Organizations' Presentations
Presentation 1
Chapleau Arts and Advisory Committee
Denis Rochon, Member
Presentation 2
Chapleau Cree First Nation
Simon Frogg, Economic Development Officer
Presentation 3
Brunswick House First Nation
Thomas Sanders, Elder
Isabelle Woods, Economic Development Officer
Evelyn Wolfe, Education Councillor
Presentation 4
Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation
Chief Anita Stephens
Colin Lachance
Presentation 5
Chapleau Township Council
Earle J. Freeborn, Mayor
Keith (Buddy) Swanson, Councillor
Richard Bignucolo, Councillor
Mark Nyman, Councillor
Richard St. Amand, Councillor
Alan Pellow, CAO
Gary Champagne, CAO, Manitoulin-Sudbury DSSAB
Presentation 6
Chapleau Regional Development Corporation
Lucy Bignucolo, CRDC Director
Ross Broomhead, CRDC Vice-President /Chair Economic Development Committee
Buddy Swanson
Marty Peterson, Economic Development Officer
Presentation 7
Chapleau Health Services
Gail Bignucolo, Financial Officer
Richard Bignucolo
David Bronicheski
Mary Boucher, Sudbury and District Health Unit
Presentation 8
Chapleau Education and Training Coalition
Karen Gauthier, Chairperson
Linda Bouchard
Chantale Rousseau
Joan Longchamps
Sheila Henderson
Buddy Swanson
Janet Hazen
Marty Peterson
Presentation 9
Louis Hémon Cultural Centre
Diane Jean, Coordinator, Louis Hémon Cultural Centre
Lillian St. Martin, Coordinator, FormationPLUS
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Background
In January 2001, the Northern Ontario Rural Team met with nine community organizations from the Chapleau area to pilot a dialogue with rural community leaders in Northern Ontario. Over the course of two days, the representatives of the various organizations outlined their current goals and objectives, considered community development opportunities, and discussed the challenges that they face. In order of their presentations, the organizations that met with the Team were:
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Chapleau Arts and Advisory Committee
- Chapleau Cree First Nation
- Brunswick House First Nation
- Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation
- Chapleau Township Council
- Chapleau Regional Development Corporation
- Chapleau Health Services
- Chapleau Education and Training Coalition
- Louis Hémon Cultural Centre
This executive summary outlines the common issues raised by community representatives over the course of the Dialogue Session. A list of the Northern Ontario Rural Team members that participated in the Chapleau Dialogue is provided in Annex A. For detailed reports on the presentations made to the Team, please refer to Annex B.
In the cases of the Chapleau Arts and Advisory Committee, the Chapleau Township Council, the Chapleau Regional Development Corporation and the Chapleau Education and Training Coalition, written briefs submitted to the Team are reproduced.
Chapleau
Chapleau, a Northern Ontario community of approximately 2,900, lies about 320 kilometres northeast of Sault Ste. Marie. The nearest largest communities are: Wawa (140 kilometres to the West) and Timmins (200 kilometres to the East). Chapleau is located within the Boreal Forest Region and the Arctic Watershed. Its main industries are rail transportation, forestry and tourism. The community is also the gateway to the world's largest Crown nature preserve — the 700,000-hectare Chapleau Crown Game Preserve.
Situated within a seven-mile radius of the Township of Chapleau are three First Nation communities:
- Chapleau Cree First Nation — band membership 350; on-reserve population 92
- Brunswick House First Nat
ion — band membership 565; on-reserve population 135
- Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation — band membership 36; on-reserve population 25
OVERVIEW OF MAJOR THEMES
Infrastructure
Community representatives expressed the need to ensure that the Chapleau area has the infrastructure necessary to support and sustain development. They identified rail, air services, roads and public transportation as the key components that need attention. Currently, the community relies on a VIA Budd Car service (Sudbury to White River Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday; White River to Sudbury Wednesday, Friday and Saturday). There is no scheduled bus service and the roads are remote.
This lack of adequate transportation systems has an impact on the community's ability to diversify their economy as well as to access health care services and educational opportunities. It also makes it difficult to secure and maintain gainful employment, particularly for Aboriginal youth living on-reserve. First Nations identified a shortage of housing in their communities, especially in light of the high rate of population growth and the increase in the formation of young families in First Nation communities.
Representatives called for funding formulas that recognize the limited ability of rural and remote communities to raise the funds needed for infrastructure projects. They also suggested that the government should establish a long-term infrastructure program designed specifically for rural and remote communities. This program should be sustainable and easy to access by individual communities.
Telecommunications
Representatives identified the need for state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure — high-speed data connections, cellular telephone service, and real-time video conferencing — so that all sectors, including health services and education, can participate in the new economy. They called for the various levels of government to work together to provide modern telecommunications infrastructure to all of Northern Ontario.
Economic Diversification
Industry downsizing in single-industry communities is a key driving force behind the need for economic diversification. Representatives agreed that Chapleau's challenge is to identify or create economic opportunities to replace those that have been lost in the forestry sector. They said that Chapleau has the assets needed to generate new ideas but lacks the financial resources and infrastructure it needs to diversify its economy.
Representatives wanted the federal government to facilitate the exchange of success stories between communities and to coordinate efforts among the various stakeholders involved in economic development. One representative made a request that the government recognize the arts sector as the key economic development player in the community. First Nation representatives indicated that they would like the government to serve as a "broker of ideas" and repeated that access to natural resources was the key to resolving First Nation economic concerns. Representatives also wanted the federal government to settle outstanding land claims so that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities can plan and implement their respective economic development strategies.
A Long-term Vision for Rural Canada
Representatives wanted the government to establish long-term funding that supports the rebuilding of communities. They identified the need for ongoing governmental support for the development and implementation of long-term community plans, rather than project-based assistance.
They also stated that the federal government should approach policy and program implementation from the "bottom–up" perspective. Government funding criteria should recognize the limited ability of rural and remote communities to come up with other funding. The criteria also need to reflect the increased cost associated with living in isolated, small rural communities, and acknowledge that per capita-based funding formulas can disadvantage rural and remote communities. This is because rural and remote communities cannot take advantage of the economies of scale that larger communities can.
Training Opportunities
Representatives indicated that the current funding criteria for education and training are not flexible enough to address the needs of rural and remote residents. They expressed a need for financial support of part-time, online and distance learning. Other measures, such as literacy training, the provision of child care and income support, access to public transportation, and access to state-of-the-art computer equipment, are needed so that citizens can pursue their career goals.
Access to Information about Government Programs and Services
Representatives generally felt that information on government programs and services was difficult to obtain and interpret. They highlighted the fact that, other than Canada Post, there is no federal government presence in Chapleau. They also suggested that the federal government should establish a single point of contact that the community could use to access all services and programs provided by all levels of government. The determination of this contact point should be flexible, based on the unique needs and characteristics of each community.
Human Resource Leadership
Representatives identified the need to sustain and promote leadership within the community. The current leaders may "burn out" since many have been in the leadership role for a long time. The representatives felt that the federal government could help attract new leaders by supporting leadership development and mentoring programs. Having new leaders would also help to build communities' self-confidence.
Health Services
The representatives indicated that Chapleau Health Services faces five major challenges: accessibility of services, cost-effectiveness of services, implementation of new technology, recruitment of physicians and recruitment of other health professionals. Suggested solutions to these issues included: streamlining funding processes, improving medical personnel recruitment, improving telecommunication and transportation linkages to other communities, and implementing a small hospital funding formula. The representatives also indicated that the federal government could help improve the situation by addressing the indirect issues, such as telecommunications and transportation, which affect the delivery of health services in the Chapleau area.
Youth
First Nation representatives indicated that, given the high population growth rate, youth issues are a primary concern. They talked about high levels of drug and alcohol abuse, crime, high school dropout rates and unemployment, indicating that the First Nation communities do not have the resources to address these problems.
Chapleau is experiencing an out-migration of their youth to urban areas. According to the participants, the main reason for youth out-migration and the high dropout rate of First Nation youth is the lack of employment opportunities in the area. The participants wanted the federal government to work with the community to develop youth employment strategies, provide recreational opportunities for youth, and implement youth education and training initiatives.
Conclusion
This Rural Dialogue Session was conducted on a pilot basis. The Northern Ontario Rural Team will be conducting an evaluation of the process to see if the session accomplished the following objectives:
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provided an opportunity for community representatives to advise the Team of their key challenges and priorities as well as provided feedback on government performance;
- increased awareness of government programs and services;
- provided an opportunity for government to respond to community issues in an integrated manner;
- increased government visibility in a rural area; and,
- fostered enhanced partnerships which will support sustainable development in the community.
The Northern Ontario Rural Team would like to thank all the community representatives for their participation in the Rural Dialogue session. Team members gained an appreciation for the communities' past accomplishments as well as their current strengths and opportunities. The Northern Ontario Rural Team as part of the Rural Team - Ontario will fully examine the issues and opportunities presented by the participants, and identify immediate and long-term measures that would help overcome some of the challenges outlined in this report. In addition, the information gathered during this dialogue session will help set the direction of future pan-provincial strategies supporting rural community development in Ontario.
ANNEX A — Northern Ontario Rural Team Representatives
Agriculture and agri-Food Canada -
Rural Secretariat |
Karen Streich |
| Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada |
Mario Paluzzi |
| Business Development Bank of Canada
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Kevin Dane |
| Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation
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Scott Flamand |
| Health Canada
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Carmen Leduc |
| Human Resources Development Canada |
Suzanne Dupont |
| Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
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Bob Leonard |
| Industry Canada – Aboriginal Business Canada |
Kim Bird |
| Industry Canada – FedNor |
Ray Hemmerling |
| National Research Council
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Jack Nishiyama |
| Natural Resources Canada
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C. Rodney Smith |
| Natural Resources Canada
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Richard Macnaughton |
| Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation
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Paul Sabourin |
| Ministry of Northern Development and Mines |
Johnny Yesno |
| Ontario Trillium Foundation |
Ron Cantin |
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