Chief Hare once again providing leadership for M’Chigeeng First Nation
By Sam Laskaris
M’CHIGEENG FIRST NATION – It has had its share of glory days. And Glen Hare, who last served as Chief of M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island more than two decades ago, has returned to his old post in an effort to steer the community in the right direction.
“The first thing I’d like to see is [to] get our community back on track,” Chief Hare said. “We were doing very well before COVID[-19].”
M’Chigeeng First Nation has had its share of struggles since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Those were very hard years since then,” he said. “So, we got a lot of work to do. I want to believe we’ve got the upper hand.”
Chief Hare didn’t disappear from political life between his terms as M’Chigeeng First Nation’s Chief. Positions he held included Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief and Ontario Regional Chief, and several terms as Anishinabek Nation’s Deputy Grand Council Chief.
Since returning to lead his own First Nation, Chief Hare said he has missed numerous major conferences in order to stay home and focus on local efforts.
“I just want to be home, here, and working with the membership to move things forward,” he said. “I’ve got a lot done with my new council, but we’ve got a long way to go.”
M’Chigeeng First Nation is the second largest First Nation on Manitoulin Island, behind Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. It is also one of 39 member First Nations that are part of the Anishinabek Nation, which is divided into four regional areas.
M’Chigeeng First Nation is one of the 18 First Nations in Anishinabek Nation’s Lake Huron Region.
Chief Hare said he has noticed an increasing number of visitors in his First Nation in the last couple of years. He believes that is in part due to the fact more people are travelling domestically because of the soured Canadian-US relations during the latest administration south of the border.
“We’ve noticed a lot of people from Ontario and Canadians, [have] come through our roads and our community now,” he said.
Chief Hare said the increased number of visitors to his First Nation, as well as the rest of Manitoulin Island, is proven by the attendance figures of MS Chi-Cheemaun, a ferry which brings people onto the island.
“That’s loaded all the time,” he said. “You’re lucky to get on, really. Let’s say you want to book right now, you probably won’t be able to get on for about four or five days.”
One of the most popular destinations in M’Chigeeng First Nation is the Ojibwe Culture Foundation, which was established in 1974, but its current facility was built in 1998. The foundation’s mission is to preserve and revitalize the traditions of Anishinaabe people as well as their language, culture, arts, and spirituality. The foundation is open on weekdays. While it provides free admission for local members, visitors who are non-members can pay a $10 fee to watch and participate in various workshops.
“You can’t beat that today,” Chief Hare said. “Its $10 a day to come and sit and learn.”
Before his latest term leading M’Chigeeng First Nation, Chief Hare spent 18 months as the Executive Director of the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation.
“We had visitors there, and I’m not exaggerating it, at least once a day we’d get one visitor from the other side of the ocean, come and visit our foundation there,” he said. “I was amazed [at] how far the visitors come. That really made me feel good. And they left on a good note, too.”
Chief Hare also praised Kenjgewin Teg, the First Nation’s main hub for Indigenous-governed post-secondary and lifelong learning.
“It’s known all over Ontario now,” he said. “A lot of students come through to our education system through that organization.”
M’Chigeeng First Nation’s annual weekend pow wow, held each September, also brings out large crowds.
“Our pow wows are very important,” Chief Hare said. “They really attract tourists right across Ontario and Canada-wide.”
Chief Hare isn’t the only well-known person from M’Chigeeng First Nation. The current Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige is a M’Chigeeng First Nation citizen, and a former Chief of the First Nation.
Another member of note is Gayle Payette, a current councillor who also serves as the First Nation’s Deputy Chief.
Deputy Chief Payette also made history in 2022, as she is believed to have been the first Indigenous person named to the Ontario Hockey Federation’s board of directors.