Wapekeka First Nation (, formerly known as Angling Lake First Nation) is a First Nation

band government In Canada, an Indian band (), First Nation band () or simply band, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subject to the ''Indian Act'' (i.e. status Indians or First Nations). Bands are typically small groups of people: the largest in ...

in the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

province of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. An

Oji-Cree The Anisininew or Oji-Cree are a First Nation in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, residing in a band extending from the Missinaibi River region in Northeastern Ontario at the east to Lake Winnipeg at the west. The Oji-Cree pe ...

community in the Kenora District, the community is located approximately 450 kilometres northeast of

Sioux Lookout Sioux Lookout is a town in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 5,838 people (up 10.8% since 2016). Known locally as the "Hub of the North", it is serviced by the Sioux Lookout Airport, Highway 72, and the Sioux Lookout railway ...

. In January 2008, the total registered population was 375, of which the on-reserve population was 355. The First Nation have as its reserve the 3605 ha Wapekeka 1 Indian Reserve and the 2026.5 ha Wapekeka 2 Indian Reserve, and two Addendums in 1996 and 1997. The First Nation observes Eastern Standard Time ( UTC-5) in winter and

Eastern Daylight Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behin ...

( UTC-4) in the summer.

Transportation

The settlement is not accessible by road from other parts of Ontario, but local roads exists within Angling Lake and to the nearby airport. Regular

air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

service is provided by

Wasaya Airways Wasaya Airways LP (or in Oji-Cree language, Oji-Cree ᐙᐦᓭᔮ ᐱᒥᐦᓭᐎᐣ (''Waaseyaa Bimisewin''); unpointed: ᐗᓭᔭ ᐱᒥᓭᐎᐣ) is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations-owned domestic airline with its headquarters in Thu ...

at Angling Lake/Wapekeka Airport.

Essential Services

Wapekeka was

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

d by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, an Aboriginal-based service until 2012. As of 2013, the

Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the State police, provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. The OPP patrols Provincial highways in Ontario, provincial highways and waterways; protects Government of Ontario, provincial government buil ...

(OPP) has been policing the territory from their detachment in Sioux Lookout. Fire services are provided by five trained residents.

Media

Wawaytay Radio System is a local FM radio station,

TV Ontario TVO (stylized in all lowercase as tvo), formerly known as TVOntario, is a Canadian publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It operates flagship station ...

provides local educational program via cable services.

Education

Reverend Eleazar Winter Memorial School is the only school on the reserve and opened in 1990. The school offers classes from JK to Grade 8 only and students going onto secondary studies must leave the community. The school burned down in fire in 2015 and re-opened in a temporary structure in early 2016. In October of 2024, the community opened a newly-built school, closer to the airport, and changed the name to the Reverend Eleazar Winter Education Centre. Plans are underway to extend instruction to Grade 9 by September 2025. Approximately 130 students were enrolled in Grades K-8 in the Spring of 2025.

Religion

Wapekeka has one church, St Paul's Anglican Church.

Health Services

A health clinic provides basic health services to the community. More advanced care requires patients to be flown out to either to

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

for more advance care.

Economy

Basic goods can be bought from either the community store or convenience store. A local hostel can be used for visitors staying over in Wapekeka.

History

The Wapekeka reserves are within the boundaries of the territory described by James brown the 1929-30 Adhesion to

Treaty 9 ''Treaty No. 9'' (also known as ''The James Bay Treaty'') is a numbered treaty first signed in 1905–1906 between Anishinaabe ( Algonquin and Ojibwe) and Omushkegowuk Cree communities and the Canadian Crown, which includes both the gov ...

(James Bay Treaty of 1905). In 1947, beginnings of Angling Lake community was formed as a satellite community used in winter by families from Big Trout Lake whose traplines were located in the area. Beginning in 1960, permanent communities apart from the Big Trout Lake Band were established. These communities were Kingfisher Lake, Wunnumin Lake, Bearskin Lake, Kasabonika, Muskrat Dam, Sachigo Lake and Wapekeka. Wapekeka received official Band status and two reserves in 1979. On August 28, 1981, the Angling Lake Band officially changed its name to Wapekeka First Nation.

Governance

The current chief is Chief Brennan Sainnawap, Deputy Chief Ananias Winter, Councillor Georgina Winter, Councillor Russel Brown, Councillor Henry Roundsky. Chief Sainnawap succeeded Norman Brown, who served for 21 years and died in 2014 as Deputy Chief. Originally a member of the Kayahn Area Tribal Council (1977–1983), when the council disbanded, along with the communities of Kasabonika Lake, Kingfisher Lake, Wunnumin Lake and Wawakapewin, Wapekeka formed and today is part of the Shibogama First Nations Council.

References

External links

AANDC profilewapekeka.cafirstnation.ca
{{authority control First Nations governments in Ontario Communities in Kenora District Nishnawbe Aski Nation