Webequie First Nation is located on the northern peninsula of Eastwood Island on

Winisk Lake Winisk Lake (french: lac Winisk) is a large, irregularly-shaped lake in the Unorganized Part of Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is on the Winisk River, and is part of the Hudson Bay drainage basin. The lake is about long an ...

, 540 km (336 mi) north of Thunder Bay in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. Webequie is a fly-in community with no summer road access. The primary way into the community is by air to Webequie Airport or winter road, which connects to the Northern Ontario Resource Trail. The First Nation have the 34,279 ha Webequie

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the ''Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Indi ...

. The Webequie or Webiqui Indian Settlement also have reserve status. Webequie First Nation is a member of the Matawa First Nations, a Regional Chiefs' Council and a member of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. The registered population of Webequie was 1320 persons in September 2015, of which the on-reserve population was over 900. The reserve is entirely surrounded by territory of the Unorganized Kenora District. Webequie is

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest a ...

d by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, an Aboriginal-based service.

History

When the Treaties were created between the Canadian government and the Aboriginal people of Canada, Webequie was mistakenly listed as part of the community of

Fort Hope Fort Hope are a British rock band formed in 2013 after the disbandment of electronic rock band My Passion in 2012. The band has released three EPs and released their debut mini-album in May 2014, which peaked at 8 on the UK top Rock and Metal ...

. They lived under this error until May 1985, when they were recognized as a distinct band. Despite this, the people of Webequie had to fight until February 15, 2001, to achieve full reserve status. The name "Webequie" comes from the Anishinini word ''webikwe'' meaning "shaking head." The community is profiled in the 2016 short documentary film '' The Road to Webequie''. In 2017, the provincial government of Ontario pledged support for the construction of a road that would connect Webequie, Nibinamik and the

Northern Ontario Ring of Fire The Ring of Fire is the name given to a massive planned chromite mining and smelting development project in the mineral-rich James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario.Ontario's Far North is designated under the ''Far North Act 2010''. The Ring of Fi ...

to Ontario Highway 599 at

Pickle Lake Pickle Lake is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the most northerly community in the province that has year-round access by road. Located north of Thunder Bay, highway access is via Highway 599, the only access road to th ...

."Ontario pledges 'support' for year-round road access to 3 remote First Nations"
CBC Thunder Bay, August 21, 2017.

References

External links

Webequie First Nation's official website

AANDC profile

Map of Webequie at Statcan
{{authority control First Nations governments in Ontario Communities in Kenora District Nishnawbe Aski Nation Ojibwe reserves in Ontario Road-inaccessible communities of Ontario