Cat Lake First Nation

Cat Lake First Nation is an Ojibwa community approximately 180 kilometres northwest of Sioux Lookout in northwestern Ontario. Wasaya Airways run daily on regular schedules. Winter/ice roads also connects from Pickle Lake, Ontario, via Northern Ontario Resource Trail during the winter months, which takes an average 4 to 5 hours of travel. As of November, 2007, their total registered population was 612 people, of which their on-reserve population was 497.

Cat Lake is policed by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, an Aboriginal based service.

History

The First Nation calls itself "Bizhiw-zaaga'iganiwininiwag" meaning "Men of Wild-cat Lake", where wild-cat refers to the Canada lynx. Community of Cat Lake was originally established as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post in 1788, and later belonged to the Osnaburgh Band of Ojibway. The Cat Lake reserve is within the boundaries of the territory described by the James Bay Treaty of 1905 -- Treaty 9. The reserve was formally established on June 22, 1970. Originally 218 ha and increased to 1771 ha in 2003 under the Government of Canada's Addition to Reserve Policy [ [http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/nr/prs/j-a2003/2-02230_e.html Ontario's Cat Lake First Nation Acquires Reserve Lands - Indian and Northern Affairs Canada ] ] , the First Nation has reserved itself the Cat Lake 63C Indian Reserve. The community of Cat Lake, Ontario is located within this reserve.

Governance

The electoral council leadership of the Cat Lake First Nation consists of Chief Ronald Wesley and four councillors: Abigail Wesley, Rita Wesley Their two-year term began on May 7, 2007.

The council is a member of the Windigo First Nations Council, a non-political regional chief's council. In turn, the Windigo First Nations Council is a member of the larger Nishnawbe Aski Nation, a Tribal Political Organisation which represents much of the First Nations in northwestern Ontario.

Official address

Cat Lake First Nation
PO Box 81
Cat Lake, ON P0V 1J0
:Phone: [phone]
:Fax: [phone]

References

External links

* [http://pse2-esd2.ainc-inac.gc.ca/FNProfiles/FNProfiles_Details.asp?Band_Number=216 INAC profile]
* [http://www.chiefs-of-ontario.org/profiles/pr_catlake.html Chiefs of Ontario profile]
* [http://firstnation.ca/catlake FirstNation.ca profile]