| In 1996, Pikangikum First Nation approached the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources about discussing potential forestry related economic development opportunities. To date, the First Nation's Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation and the Red Lake OMNR have worked together planning developments in Pikangikum's traditional territory. The community is negotiating a degree of control over their landscape, as control contributes to overall community health. There have been a number of resource based industries in Pikangikum, and forestry is the next strategy.;The context behind a community development initiative can determine the success of the initiative. The purpose of this study was to explore the history of interactions between Pikangikum people and the OMNR, the formation and maintenance of the working relationship, and some of the challenges.;The method was to interview key negotiators from both groups. Organizational, community, and individual narratives were collected in an iterative process. Theories on narrative and partnership are discussed in relation to Bourdieu's concept of habitus. Narratives are a basis for action in the negotiation process.;The findings show that numerous people from Pikangikum have been directly or indirectly employed by the OMNR since the Ministry first exerted authority over the Pikangikum area in 1946. Department policy did not include First Nations in land use planning, however, and the two groups tended to not communicate, other than in regulated consultation settings. The community's experience losing their commercial fishing licenses to tourist developments is a motive for initiating the relationship. Other primary motives are the extension of the Nungessor road north through a sacred site, the creation of opportunities for Pikangikum youth, and the avoidance of a prophecy describing the advancement of industry and development into their territory.;The WFMC and the Red Lake OMNR have a viable contemporary relationship supported by the First Nation's drive, consistency in staff, a strong group of core Elders, and knowledgeable consultants acting as intermediaries. Whitefeather is based on a consensus building process which allows for the construction of creative solutions within policy. A terms of reference outlines goals, deadlines, the area under negotiation, and the delineation of authority. The Steering Committee, whose members are Elders, Pikangikum youth, OMNR negotiators, and technical advisors, is separate from Chief and Council.;One of the challenges of consensus building is that the OMNR and the WFMC have different requirements for the amount of time needed to make decisions. The community must reach a consensus internally and work towards specific ends, meanwhile avoiding the realization of certain predictions. The OMNR must meet funding deadlines, and has only a small group of core staff working on the negotiations. In addition, the consensus building process depends on both groups disclosing information, with the disclosed information feeding into separate Treaty and Aboriginal Rights discussions. Pikangikum people are affected in their day to day lives by fishing, hunting and trapping regulations under OMNR jurisdiction, however. Groups outside of the immediate negotiating party, with jurisdictional or other measures of authority over the negotiated area present challenges to the planning process. The narratives of both groups show that trust is a major issue, and relates to the contemporary negotiation process as well as the older, more complex history behind the relationship. |
