Community health and safety top priority as business regulations change in Aamjiwnaang First Nation
By Colin Graf
AAMJIWNAANG FIRST NATION— Owners and operators of businesses here may soon need a license from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation administration office. Community members had until Aug. 18 to comment on a draft proposal to charge a yearly fee for businesses operating in the community.
Under the new regulation, each business will need a two-year license within 90 days of the law coming into effect. Each application will be posted publicly for a 30-day comment period, and then applications will go to a new committee that has the authority to accept or reject them, according to information posted on the administration website and Facebook page. The committee will be made up of three council members and three appointed community members.
If the committee rejects a license application, an appeal process will take place, the posted information shows. Licenses can also be suspended for 90 days or revoked if the business operator violates terms of the new regulation, or has “conducted the business in a manner that is detrimental to the health, welfare, safety and environment of Aamjiwnaang First Nation members,” according to the band council resolution on the matter.
Business owners need to arrange for their own fire protection and have valid insurance. They will also be responsible for all fire-fighting costs in the event of a fire, the license application form reads, and “Aamjiwnaang First Nation is not to be held responsible nor are they liable to provide Fire Protection Service.”
In July 2019, Chief and Council issued a moratorium on business development in Aamjiwnaang, “for the health, welfare, safety and environment” of the community at a special meeting to discuss “community concerns.” A letter to the community from Chief and Council at the time said the moratorium will be lifted “once protocol is developed and community input is received.”
The ban on new business openings was imposed after residents raised concerns at a community meeting about a growing number of cannabis shops in Aamjiwnaang and police raids on those businesses.
Aamjiwnaang residents were surveyed about the business license program in May, Council accepted the draft proposal on June 15, and a 60-day comment period began then.
The new business license will have a yearly cost of $125 for restaurants, tobacco shops, vehicle sales or repair shops, and convenience stores, while other commercial enterprises will be charged $200, and industrial operations will have to pay $300.