Chi Mino Ozhitoowin CEO stresses importance of partnerships at Prosperity Northwest Tradeshow
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — Former Fort William Chief Peter Collins, CEO at Chi Mino Ozhitoowin, stressed the importance of partnerships during the Partnership Successes panel discussion at the 2023 Prosperity Northwest Tradeshow and Conference on Feb. 15. The trade show and conference was held by the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Anishnawbe Business Professional Association with support by NADF at the Valhalla Hotel and Conference Centre in Thunder Bay.
“I’ve been a part of the industry growth in the Thunder Bay region for the last 22 years as the chief of my community,” Collins says. “In 1999, Resolute (Forest Products), or Bowater then, announced that there was going to be a project in the Thunder Bay region and Fort William wasn’t on the priority list. So we came up with an innovative way to get to the top of the list, to be selected to host that state-of-the-art stud mill that is now operating and has been operating for 23 years. Those are the types of projects we have to continue to grow, that’s a really good revenue stream for our communities.”
Chi Mino Ozhitoowin is the sister company of the Gwayakocchigewin Limited Partnership, which represents Fort William, Eagle Lake, Seine River, Nigigoonsiminikaaning, Wabigoon Lake, Lac La Croix, Lac Seul, Ojibway Nation of Saugeen, and Lac des Mille Lacs in an agreement with Hydro One Networks Inc. on the Waasigan Transmission Line project from Shuniah to Atikokan and Dryden in northwestern Ontario. The communities have the opportunity to invest in 50 per cent of the project upon completion.
“We took all the tools we learned on the East-West Tie (transmission line) project and enhanced them on the Waasigan project,” Collins says. “And we eventually created what we call is a legacy opportunity for our communities.”
Collins says his job as CEO is to fulfill the obligations under the agreement and to work with Valard on the project.
“The relationship has to be strong, it has to be positive,” Collins says. “I always say your success is our success and our success is your success, and that’s the mindset I have.”
Collins says opportunities are so important, noting the mining and forestry development in the region.
“We’re still looking for the real obligation of the treaty and sharing those natural resources in the country, sharing the natural resources in this region,” Collins says. “We invest, our communities invest, our people that come here invest a lot into the economy in the City of Thunder Bay.”
Collins says one of the issues with procurement policies on major projects is the requirement for bonding and insurance.
“We did manage to push MTO (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario) for set asides,” Collins says. “When I look at major projects now, I try to get the minister to think about this — create set asides for our communities so the … First Nation contractors can take full advantage.”
Collins says they now have eight employees at Chi Mino Ozhitoowin.
“We’re continuing to expand, we’re looking at training opportunities, business opportunities, business development, partnerships, and whatever we can do to bring long-term sustainability to the company,” Collins says, noting they are beginning to visit the communities and are listening to the Elders. “We’re planning career fairs starting in March so we hope to have a lot of the information that we’ve developed and we’re putting together and developing a good relationship with all of the communities.”
Collins participated in the Partnership Successes panel discussion along with moderator Jason Rasevych, co-founder at Anishnawbe Business Professional Association, and Brian Davey, executive director at NADF, a not-for-profit Aboriginal Financial Institution serving entrepreneurs, businesses, and communities in Northern Ontario.